Louis Van Houtte's "Flore des Serres et des Jardins de L'Europe" or "The Gardens of Europe" gorgeous botanical prints from 1845-1875

Flore des Serres et des Jardins de L'Europe
Louis van Houtte and Charles Lemaire, editors
Ghent, Belgium (1845-1883)

Gorgeous multi-stone color lithographs with some handcoloring.
Fold-out "double" plates measure approximately 9.5 x 13 inches (approx. 24 x 33 cm)
Single plates measure approximately 6.5 x 9.5 inches (approx. 16.5 x 24 cm)

Louis Benoit van Houtte, Belgian horticulturist, was born at Ypres on June 29, 1810, and died at Ghent May 9, 1876. He was associated with the Jardin Botanique de Brussels from 1836 to 1838. In 1839, after an expedition to Brazil, he went to Ghent where he founded the Ecole d'Horticulture and the horticultural journal Flore des serres et des Jardins de l'Europe. Flore des serres was an extensive work with over 2000 colored plates. It contained 23 volumes published from 1845 to 1883, some coming out after his death.

He also established a nursery there with managing partner the nurseryman Adolf Papeleu. Van Houtte's knowledge of botany, his commercial aptitude and language skills made the Establishment Van Houtte very successful. About 1845 he began sending out plant collectors to bring back orchids and other exotic plants from South and Central America. His company propagated many plants for European greenhouses. The first Victoria to be cultivated on the Continent grew there in a specially built greenhouse and the first confirmed water lily hybrid, N. Ortgiesiano-rubra, was created there by Eduard Ortgies. By 1870 Van Houtte owned the most flourishing nursery in Belgium, with an area of 14 hectares and 50 greenhouses. After he died in 1876 his son continued the business.

Louis Benoit van Houtte

Please click on a thumbnail to see most of the plate (the fold-out doubles are too large for a complete scan).
Please note: the enlarged scans tend to look darker than the actual print. The paper is generally much brighter than what appears on the scan.
These are truly gorgeous prints and the scans do not do them justice!

BELOW ARE THE FOLD-OUT "DOUBLE PRINTS" FROM Flore des Serres et des Jardins de L'Europe
WITH ORIGINAL CENTER FOLDS, AS ISSUED.

(click here for "single" plates)

Dichorisandra Musaïca
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$175

Tapeinotes Carolinae
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$125

Manta Roseo-picta
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Maranta Warscewiczii
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Maranta Makoyana
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$150

Maranta Regalis
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$95

Maranta Illustri
[image continues beyond scannable area]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$115

Musa Zebrina
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Musa Vittata
[image continues beyond scannable area]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$115

Panicum Plicatum Foliis Niveo-Vittatis
[image continues beyond scannable area]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$85

Podophyllum Emodi
[image continues beyond scannable area]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$115

Nymphaea Boucheana
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$125

Panicum Plicatum Foliis Niveo-Vittatis
Nymphaea Rubra
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Victoria Regia
[fleur de grandeur naturelle]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$125

Victoria Regia
[Premier soir.]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Victoria Regia
[fleur tout-à-fait éponouie 2und soir.]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Victoria Regia
[1eme période de l'épanoiussement - 2und soir.]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$125

Victoria Regia
[Détails analytíques.]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Victoria Regia
[Alabastre]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$85

Nelumbium Speciosum [caspicum]
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$125

Echeveria Pulverulenta
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$95

Euryale Ferox
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)

Strelitzia Augusta
(9½ x 13 inches fold-out double)
$95

"Double-page lithographs"
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

"Single-page lithographs"
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

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