Flora Londinensis (1775-98)

Botanical drawing
© The Board and Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, KewCredit

William Curtis (1746-1799)
Flora Londinensis, or Plates and descriptions of such plants as grow wild in the environs of London
(London: 1775, Vol. 1.)

William Kilburn (1745-1818)
Leontodon Taraxacum
Hand-coloured engraving
RBG Kew

William Curtis (1746-1799) set out to record all the wild plants growing within a 10-mile radius of London. He published his findings in Flora Londinensis (1775-98), which was illustrated with hand-coloured engravings. This image depicts the common dandelion. It was drawn and engraved by Dublin-artist William Kilburn who was a key contributor to the publication.

View a digitised copy of Flora Londinensis on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website