#jdhooker

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Rhododendron dalhousiae. #SciArt by #JosephDaltonHooker for his work, The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya (1849-51). Beginning in November 1847, #JDHooker embarked on a 3-year long expedition to the Himalayas where he collected plants and explored the botany of the region, all of which was the basis for this book. Contributed for digitization by the Peter H. Raven Library at Missouri Botanical Garden (@mobotgarden) to #BiodiversityHeritageLibrary. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11630671 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #JDHooker2017 #KewGardens #RoyalBotanicGardensKew #RoyalBotanicKew #Botany #BotanicalArt #BHLib #Biodiversity #NaturalHistory #Biology #ScientificIllustration #ScientificArt #OpenAccess #LibrariesofInstagram #Libraries #SciArtFix

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#JDHooker2017: Joseph Dalton Hooker climbed Seetakoond Hill as part of his Himalayan expedition, and he noted in his journal that part of the climb included 560 steps carved into the rock to reach the Brahim Temple at the top. This hill is now known as Chandranath Hill, and Chandranath Temple is a holy place of pilgrimage for Hindus. This temple is near Sitakunda in Bangladesh. #SciArt by #JDHooker for his Himalayan Journals, or, Notes of a naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains, &c., Vol. 2 (1854). Contributed for digitization by the California Academy of Sciences (@calacademy) to #BiodiversityHeritageLibrary. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39797693 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #JosephDaltonHooker #KewGardens #Himalayas #HimalayanMountains #Sikkim #Nepal #Hinduism #Hindu #BHLib #Biodiversity #NaturalHistory #NatHist #ScientificIllustration #ScientificArt #OpenAccess #Libraries #Archives #SpecialCollections

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Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) was one of the most important botanists and explorers of the 19th century, and #JDHooker was one of Charles Darwin's closest friends. He was the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1865 to 1885, and the Editor of Curtis's Botanical Magazine from 1865 to1904. This week, we will be sharing illustrations from many publications that were spearheaded by J.D. Hooker. Join us, along with @kewgardens in celebrating #JDHooker2017, the bicentenary of J.D. Hooker's birth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #JosephDaltonHooker #KewGardens #RoyalBotanicGardensKew #RoyalBotanicKew #Botany #BotanicalArt #BHLib #Biodiversity #NaturalHistory #Biology #ScientificIllustration #ScientificArt #OpenAccess #LibrariesofInstagram #Libraries

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Type Tuesday!

Title Page to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker's Illustrations of Himalayan Plants (1855) with botanical illustrations, including this page, done by Walter Hood Fitch. We are exploring the beautiful botanical art in this book for #JDHooker2017. This book was contributed for digitization by the Peter H. Raven Library at Missouri Botanical Garden (@mobotgarden).

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BHL Book Feature: Himalayan Plants

Join us this week for a virtual trek into the Himalayan Mountains as part of our celebration of Joseph Dalton Hooker’s 200th birthday. 

J.D. Hooker created Illustrations of Himalayan Plants (1855) largely based on the contributions of his friend, James F. Cathcart, who was part of the British Civil Service in India. During his free time, Cathcart studied the biodiversity of India, particularly the plants from which he collected seeds to send home to his friends in exchange for books. He collected hundreds of specimens at varying elevations in the Himalayas, and he employed two artists to draw these plants. After his death, Cathcart had these illustrations presented to J.D. Hooker and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Describing Cathcart, J.D. Hooker wrote: 

Cathcart was an ardent amateur, a man of a highly cultivated mind; naturally of a retiring disposition, he loved science for its own sake; and the hope that the fruits of his labours would benefit others as much as the prosecution of them gratified his tastes for what was curious and beautiful in nature, was the mainspring of his actions.

J.D. Hooker employed Walter Hood Fitch to redraw all of the plates using the original illustrations and research contributed by Cathcart, as well as J.D. Hooker’s research from similar areas.

Our featured illustration is the leaves and acorns of an Oak Tree (Quercus lamellosa). This week, we will be exploring the beautiful illustrations by Walter Hood Fitch for Joseph Dalton Hooker’s Illustrations of Himalayan Plants (1855), which was contributed for digitization by the Peter H. Raven Library of the Missouri Botanical Garden (@mobotgarden). Learn more about the #JDHooker2017 campaign on our blog, and explore all 24 plates in our Flickr album! 

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BHL Book Feature: Himalayan Plants

The Chinese Lard Plant (Hodgsonia heteroclita) is a member of the Cucurbitaceae Family, which includes cucumbers, watermelons, and other edible and inedible gourds. Although the fruit is considered inedible, the seeds can be eaten raw, but they are most often roasted. They apparently taste like pork lard, which gives the plant its common name, while the nuts are called Pork Fat Nuts.

According to Hooker, this plant has male and female types! 

Male Chinese Lard Plant (Hodgsonia heteroclita).

Female Chinese Lard Plant (Hodgsonia heteroclita).

All three illustrations were done by Joseph Dalton Hooker for his Illustrations of Himalayan Plants (1855), which we have been exploring for this week’s BHL Book Feature as part of the recognition of J.D. Hooker’s 200th birthday. This book was contributed for digitization by the Peter H. Raven Library of the Missouri Botanical Garden (@mobotgarden). You can learn more about the #JDHooker2017 campaign on our blog, and explore more of Hooker’s works on our campaign page!