Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.9804
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Cinchona of St Lucia
Date
ca. November 1783
Creator
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (painting): 342mm
width (painting): 262mm
width (painting): 262mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Plate 19 figure A from the paper “An account of a new species of the Bark-tree, found in the Island of St Lucia”, by George Davidson, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol.74 part 2 (1784), pp.452-456. Botanical studies of parts of a tree from the West Indies used as an anti-malarial treatment. The main figure is a dried sprig from the tree with leaves and flowers, appearing with several figures not used in the published version of the plate. These include an illustration of the dried bark of the tree [genuine cinchola from Peru was known as ‘Jesuit’s Bark’]. A key to the illustration, headed “Plate 1st” appears in ink verso: “A. “Corolla monopeta... B. Pistillum capitatum. C. Antherae linarus. D. Calyx quinquifidus. E. Cyma. F. Cortex. G. Flores nondum aperti.” Not signed.
Associated place