The earliest known botanical illustration depicting the entirety of a coffee plant (Coffea arabica, Rubiaceae) (1666)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v19.i2.1404Abstract
Dominique Chabrée’s book, Stirpium icones et sciagraphia, published in 1666, and with slightly different titles in 1677, and 1678, includes the first botanical illustration of an entire coffee plant (Coffea arabica), including the roots. Despite inaccurate botanical characters, the illustration is a milestone in the evolution of coffee botanical art.
References
ALPINO, P. 1592. De plantis Aegypti liber. Franciscum de Franciscis Senensem. Venice, Italy. https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/idurl/1/13459
BAUHIN, J. & J.H. CHERLER. 1650. Historia plantarum universalis, nova, et absolutissima. [s.n.],
Yverdon, Switzerland. https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/idurl/1/13085
CHABRÉE, D. 1666. Stirpium icones et sciagraphia: cum scriptorum circa eas consensu et dissensu ac caeteris plaerisque omnibus quae de plantarum natura, natalibus, synonymis, usu & virtutibus, scitu necessaria. Typis Phil. Gamoneti & Iac. de la Pierre, Geneva, Switzerland. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_wtYlHw69kg8C
CHABRÉE, D. 1677. Stirpium icones et sciagraphia cum omnibus, quae de plantarum natura, natalibus, synonymis, usu & virtutibus scitu necessaria: quibus accessit scriptorvm circa eas consensus, & dissensus. Authore Domenico Chabraeo. Ioannem Anthonium Chouët, Geneva, Switzerland. https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/13598-stirpium-icones-et-sciagraphia
CHABRÉE, D. 1678. Omnium stirpium sciagraphia et icones, quibus plantarum et radicum tum in hortis cultarum, tum in urbium fossis & muris, pratis, arvis, montibus, collibus, nemoralibus, fluviis, riguis & littoralibus, villis & pagis, spontè provenientium, nomina, figura, natura, natales, synoyma, usus & virtutes, docentur. Cum doctissimorum scriptorum circa cas consensu & dissensu. Samuelis de Tournes, Geneva, Switzerland. https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/idurl/1/13599
DE LA ROQUE, J. 1715. Voyage de l'Arabie Heureuse. Charles Huguier & André Cailleau, Paris, France.
ELLIS, J. 1774. An historical account of coffee. With an engraving, and botanical description of the tree. To which are added sundry papers relative to its culture and use, as an article of diet and of commerce. Edward and Charles Dilly, London, UK. https://archive.org/details/2472012R.nlm.nih.gov/page/n3/mode/2up
HÜNERSDORFF, R. VON & H.G. HASENKAMP. 2002. Coffee: A bibliography. A guide to the literature on coffee. Hünersdorff, London, UK.
MARSIGLI, L.F. 1703. Notizie, di Costantinopoli; sopra la pianta del caffè. Da Luigi Ferdin. Conte Marsigli. AloysI Ferdin. Com. Marsigli Notitiae à Constantinopoli; circa plantam, quae calidi potûs coava, materiam ministrat. [s.n., s.l.]. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:29-bv008962253-1
MUELLER, W. 1960. Bibliographie des Kaffee, des Kakao, der Schokolade, des Tee, und deren Surrogate biz zum Jahre 1900. Walter Krieg Verlag, Bad Bocklet, Vienna, Zürich, Florence.
NUTMAN, F.J. 1933. The root-system of Coffea arabica. Pt. I. Root-systems in typical soils of British East Africa. Empire J. Exp. Agric. 1:271–296. https://kalroerepository.kalro.org/items/825e5e4f-6915-4e16-a2a9-9942bd944b92
RAUWOLF, L. 1582. Aigentliche beschreibung der Raiß, so er vor diser zeit gegen Auffgang inn die Morgenländer. [Lauingen, Reinmi-chel].https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb11062269?page=2,3
SCHNYDER-V. WALDKIRCH, A. 1988. Wie Europa den Kaffee Entdeckte. Reiseberichte der Barockzeit als Quellen zur Geschichte des Kaffees. Jacobs Suchard Museum, Zurich, Switzerland.
VEGA, F.E. & A.P. DAVIS. When is coffee not coffee? Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli’s depictions of the coffee plant in “Notizie, di Costantinopoli; sopra la pianta del caffè” (1703). Ital. Bot. 19:65–85. https://doi.org/10.3897/italianbotanist.19.146007
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Botanical Research Institute of Texas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
