Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia
Meet the author
Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin (1727-1817) was a botanist, chemist, and doctor. Jacquin studied at Leiden University in the Netherlands before moving to Paris and Vienna.
Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia
The making of the book
While in Vienna, Jacquin met the Emperor Franz I, who sent him on a scientific expedition to enrich the imperial court gardens in the West Indies.
Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia
From explorer to teacher
After Jacquin returned from his travels, he became a Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy in Slovakia and wrote his famous work Selectarum stirpium americanarum historia (1763).
Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia
A dedication to the emperor
As the Emperor Franz I was the one who sent him on his travels, Jacquin dedicated his botany book to him.
Jacquin, Nikolaus Joseph von: Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia, in qua ad Linnaeanum systema determinatae (etc.), Vienna 1763.
The famous botanists
In 1768, Jacquin went back to Vienna to become a Professor of Botany and Chemistry. While in Vienna, Jacquin also managed the university botanical gardens and got to know many famous botanists of his time, including Carl von Linné.
Selectarum stirpium Americanarum historia
See the plants for yourself
Today you can take a look into Jacquin's world of botany and see his publications filled with thousands of beautiful drawings of the plants he discovered.
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