PLANT CURATOR
botanical artistry | imagery | creativity
  • Art & Design
  • Photography
  • Culture
  • Places
  • Free Art
  • Books
Home » Free Art » 88 free vintage medicinal plant illlustrations

88 free vintage medicinal plant illlustrations

April 21, 2014|Free Art, Inspiration, Top

Franz Eugen Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen or Medicinal Plants was published in 1887 in Germany. It comes in four volumes and includes over 300 detailed, beautiful, botanical illustrations of plants. Below we supply 88 from Volume 1. The book was written by Kohler but the pictures were drawn by artists L. Müeller and C.F. Schmidt. They were then rendered in chromolithography by a certain K. Gunther. Chromolithography was the number one technique for printing in colour for around a decade between the mid-18th and 19th Centuries.  This process required a skilled lithographer to draw the original painting, by hand, in reverse, onto limestone slabs and later zinc plates. They would then somehow ink this with a colour and use that to print onto paper. They then repeated this for all the other colours they needed, using a different stone for each one. The colours would overprint each other until the original image was recreated. What a faff. Printing methods started to get a little easier after this one. Wikipedia has a great timeline of the History of Printing.

It is 75 years since the death of the author which in most of Europe denotes it is the Public Domain. That means all images are copyright free.

The original species title is written below exactly as it is printed on the picture. Where we think the currently accepted name differs significantly for the plant we have checked it against The Catalogue of Life or The Plant List and have written it in brackets. The common or vernacular name or names comes after that.

Click on the image below to download a higher resolution PDF.

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Hagenia abyssinica Willd., Kosso

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Pinus silvestris L., Scotch pine

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Potentilla Tormentilla Schrnk. (Potentilla erecta (L.) Räuschel),   Tormentil

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Erythroxylon Coca Lam. (Erythroxylum coca)  Cocaine

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Chondrus crispus Lyngb. Gigartina mamillosa J. Ag., (Chondrus crispus Stackh.) Irish moss

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Aspidium filix mas Sw., (Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott), Male fern

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cinchona officinalis Hook. fil., Quinine Bark Tree

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cinchona succirubra Pav. (Cinchona pubescens Vahl), Quinine

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cinchona Calisaya Wedd., Quinine

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cinnamomum zeylanicum Breyn. (Cinnamomum verum J. S. Presl),  Cinnamon

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cinnamomum Cassia Blume. (Cinnamomum cassia (L.) Presl) Chinese cassia or Chinese cinnamon

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cinnamomum Camphora F. Nees et Eberm., (Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl), Camphor tree

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Tussilago farfara L., Coltsfoot

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Pilocarpus pinnatifolius Lem.,  Pilocarpus, Jaborandi

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Dammara alba Rumph., (Agathis dammara (Lamb.) Rich. & A. Rich.), Amboina pitch tree

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Podophyllum peltatum L., Mayapple

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Aconitum Napellus L., Venus’ chariot

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cetraria islandica Acharius., Iceland Lichen

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Achillea Millefolium L., Common Yarrow

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Artemisia Absinthium L., Absinthium

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Mentha piperita L., (Mentha × piperita L.), Peppermint

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Mentha viridis L. var. crispata Schrader. (Mentha spicata L.) , Spearmint

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Melissa officinalis L., Balm mint or Common Balm

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Taraxacum officinale Web., Common dandelion

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Matricaria Chamomilla L.,  Chamomile

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Rhamnus cathartica L., Common buckthorn

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Digitalis purpurea L., Foxglove

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Platanthera bifolia Rchb., Lesser butterfly orchid

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Orchis militaris L. Military orchid

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Lavandula vera D. C. (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) Lavender

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Malva silvestris L. Common mallow

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Humulus Lupulus L., Common hop

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Thymus vulgaris L.,  Thyme

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cochlearia officinalis L., Common scurvygrass

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Juglans regia L., Walnut

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Populus nigra L.,  Lombardy poplar

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Beta vulgaris L. var. Rapa Dum.,  (see comment below)

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Abies alba Miller.,  Silver fir

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Juniperus communis L., Common juniper

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Melilotus officinalis Desr., Ribbed melliot or Yellow sweetclover

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Vitis vinifera L., Grape

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Mallotus philippinensis Müller Arg. (Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Müll.Arg.),  Kamala tree

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Lycopodium clavatum L., Running clubmoss

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Artemisia Cina Berg., Wormseed or Santonica

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Valeriana officinalis L., Common valerian

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Citrus Limonum Risso., (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. ), Lemon

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Sambucus nigra L., Elder

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Verbascum phlomoides L., Orange mullein

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Rubus Idaeus L., Raspberry

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Althaea officinalis L.,  Marshmallow

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Larix decidua Miller., European larch or Common larch

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Symphytum officinale L., Common comfrey

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Thymus Serpyllum L., Wild thyme

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Salvia officinalis L. , Sage

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Papaver somniferum L., Opium poppy

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Citrus vulgaris Risso. (Citrus aurantium L.), Orange

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Prunus Cerasus L., Sour cherry

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Pirus Malus L., (Malus pumila Mill.) Apple

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cydonia vulgaris Pers., (Cydonia oblonga Mill.), Quince

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Fagus silvatica L., European beech

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Nicotiana rustica L., Mapacho Aztec tobacco

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Quercus sessiliflora Sm. (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. ) Sessile oak or Durmast oak

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Quercus pedunculata Ehrh. (Quercus robur L.) English oak

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Viscum album L., Mistletoe

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cnicus benedictus L., Blessed thistle

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Viola tricolor L.,  Wild pansy or Heartsease

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Laurus nobilis L., Bay or Laurel

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Daphne Mezereum L., Paradise plant

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Colchicum autumnale L., Autumn crocus, Meadow saffron

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Ruta graveolens L. , Common rue

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Datura Stramonium L., Jimsonweed, Datura

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Erythraea Centaurium Pers. (Centaurium erythraea Rafn,), Common centaury

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Chelidonium majus L., Greater celandine

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Rhamnus Frangula L. (Frangula alnus Mill. ) Alder buckthorn

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Althaea rosea Cav., (Alcea rosea L.), Hollyhock

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Nicotiana Tabacum L., Cultivated tobacco

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Acorus Calamus L., Sweet flag, calamus

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Linum usitatissimum L., Common flax or Linseed

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Tilia ulmifolia Scop.,  (Tilia cordata Mill.),  Littleleaf linden

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Brassica juncea Hook fil. Et Thoms.,  Chinese mustard

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Brassica nigra Koch,  Black mustard

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Cannabis sativa L., Marijuana

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Arnica montana L., Mountain arnica

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Hyoscyamus niger L., Henbane

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Atropa Belladonna L., Deadly nightshade or Belladonna

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Brassica Napus oleifera D.C. var. hiemalis Döll., (Brassica napus subsp. napus L.) , Rapeseed

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Picea excelsa Lk., (Picea abies var. abies),  Norway spruce

Medicinal Botanical Plants
Lactuca virosa L.,  Wild  lettuce

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Share
August 10, 2015 R L F Matthias

Related Posts

  • British Library plant covers
    British Library plant coversJuly 18, 2015
  • Regent’s Canal to Mile End Park to Tower Hamlets Cemetery
    Regent’s Canal to Mile End Park to Tower Hamlets CemeteryJune 29, 2015
  • Alpine meadows – dreams within dreams
    Alpine meadows – dreams within dreamsMay 25, 2015

Popular Posts

  • 88 free vintage medicinal plant illlustrations
    88 free vintage medicinal plant illlustrationsApril 21, 2014
  • Species list for La Primavera anyone?
    Species list for La Primavera anyone?March 23, 2014
  • Species list for Millais’ Ophelia anyone?
    Species list for Millais’ Ophelia anyone?April 15, 2014
← Patrick Caulfield’s liking for plants
Ten plant-centric fabric designs to enjoy →

11 Responses to 88 free vintage medicinal plant illlustrations

  • Nancy Holyfield July 6, 2014

    Re: Beta vulgaris L.var Rapa dum: You state under the picture that you don’t know what this is. I looked it up and its common name is called “Mangold” and it is listed as a poisonous plant of new Zealand if that interests anyone.

    Reply
    • plant curator July 9, 2014

      Thanks Nancy, can you tell us your source? On Wikipedia, if you type in Mangold you get Beta vulgaris L. But this species includes many cultivated varieties. If we look up Beta vulgaris L. Wikipedia tells us it has three subspecies and all cultivated varieties fall under Beta vulgaris L. var vulgaris, a grouping that contains all beets grown for their thickened tubers rather than their leaves. So Mangold would be one of these for sure. But the name Beta vulgaris L. var Rapa Dum. I can’t find a reference for (in theplantlist, catalogueoflife or IPNI) and in the picture there is no thickened tuber!

      Reply
      • Karen August 1, 2016

        Are prints available?  I would love to have!

        Reply
  • nancy holyfield July 28, 2014

    I would like to give you the exact source but it has been a few weeks and I don’t remember the exact place I found the answer. I can tell you that is was some site within the department of agriculture’s poisonous plants database is where I found this exact variety listed as a poisonous plant that originated in new zealand, so it did come from some old archives from the dept of agriculture. I will see if I can find it again and give you the link

    Reply
  • nancy holyfield July 28, 2014

    Ok, sorry that I couldn’t tell you the exact source in previous post, and I actually was mistaken when I said I found it in old archives of Dept of Agriculture. It was actually found in the old archives of the FDA.  Anyway, here is the link where I found this plant http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/plantox/detail.cfm?id=6714
    And this is a copy and paste from the part about this plant off the page. I hope this will help you out with identifying the plant. Otherwise, I know nothing more about it than what I found here.

    FDA Poisonous Plant Database
    FDA #: F23887
    GRIN #: mobot9 10
    COMMON NAME: mangold
    STANDARD COMMON NAME:
    FAMILY: Chenopodiaceae
    LATIN NAME: Beta vulgaris var. rapa
    STANDARD PLANT NAME: Beta vulgaris L. var. rapa Dum.

    Reply
    • Bronwyn Carlisle June 30, 2015

      I don’t think that all the plants in that FDA database are poisonous. Directly under the mangold entry there is the following, which includes all cabbages, broccoli, etc etc. I imagine the database has all plants, and their levels of toxicity, even if that level is zero. Which makes sense, because if you left out the non poisonous plants, when you looked something up you wouldn’t know if it was non-toxic or just missing.

      COMMON NAME:
      STANDARD COMMON NAME:
      FAMILY: Brassicaceae
      LATIN NAME: Brassica
      STANDARD PLANT NAME: Brassica sp.

      Reply
  • Rubus idaeus (Female Reproductive) | The Wildflower Herbarium November 13, 2015

    […] Müeller, L., & Schmidt, C. F. (2014). Rubus idaeus [Image]. Retrieved from http://plantcurator.com/medicinal-plants-german/ […]

    Reply
  • 52 Ancestors: Rudolph Manbeck - Where There's a Will. Ancestors in Aprons. November 17, 2015

    […]  Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen or Medicinal Plants, Franz Eugen, 1887, Germany. This is the source of the beautiful vintage plant illustration of the flax plant. In the public domain. Found on the web site: Plant Curator. […]

    Reply
  • Kathy December 17, 2015

    The actual german book these plants come from calls the Beta vulgaris rapa dum the ‘Runkelrube’ or Mangold which from this website: http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Beta.html#vulgaris-vulgaris

    states this version as Beta vulgaris var. Rapa dum f. rubra from the Crassa Group of beet names . . . if that helps anyone.

    Reply
  • jo alvis April 19, 2016

    Hi, I am a designer making an exhibition at a cider production farm. We need some beautiful illustrations with regards to apples & the changing seasons. Is this something you could help us with?

    Reply
  • Johan Strydom August 14, 2016

    Have, or will these books be republished? They deserve to be.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on EmailFollow Us on rss

Popular Posts

  • 88 free vintage medicinal plant illlustrations
    88 free vintage medicinal plan... April 21, 2014
  • Species list for Millais’ Ophelia anyone?
    Species list for Millais’... April 15, 2014
  • Species list for La Primavera anyone?
    Species list for La Primavera ... March 23, 2014
  • Talking vegetable cartoons of Berger & Wyse
    Talking vegetable cartoons of ... April 1, 2014
  • Botticelli’s flowers to Valentino’s dresses via Celia Birtwell
    Botticelli’s flowers to ... January 19, 2015
  • Flower collages of Ted Feighan aka Monster Rally
    Flower collages of Ted Feighan... March 6, 2014
  • The ultimate Californian deserts in bloom photographic road trip
    The ultimate Californian deser... March 5, 2014
  • The Dave Hill effect
    The Dave Hill effect February 9, 2014
  • Fake flowers tell the truth
    Fake flowers tell the truth February 7, 2014
  • Interview with Coral Guest: Flower Painter
    Interview with Coral Guest: Fl... January 14, 2015
  • Creatives with Plants
    Creatives with Plants December 16, 2014
  • Plant in the Room: Magnolia
    Plant in the Room: Magnolia November 24, 2014
  • Plant in the room: Narcissus
    Plant in the room: Narcissus November 11, 2014
  • What species is Monet’s Bodmer Oak?
    What species is Monet’s ... September 23, 2014
  • The Top 5 Identification Guides for UK Wild Plant Photographers
    The Top 5 Identification Guide... July 14, 2014

About

Plant Curator selectively collects creations to build a digital athenaeum of plant beauty and application in the arts. Designers that work in nature or plant-related fields will find inspiration for design and content here. In this way we help botanical creatives learn from other botanical creatives.
Read More

Area of interest

Links

  • Submit to Plant Curator
  • Directory

Email

Your message was successfully sent. Thank You!

© 2017 plantcurator.com. All Rights Reserved
%d bloggers like this: