Beschreibung:

TURNER, Dawson (1775-1858). Fuci, sive plantarum fucorum generi a botanicis ascriptarum icones descriptiones et historia... Fuci; or, coloured figures and descriptions of the plants referred by botanists to the genus Fucus . London: J. M'creery for John and Arthur Arch, 1808-1819. 4 volumes, 2° (424 x 260mm). Titles and text in English and Latin. 258 engraved plates, printed in colour and hand-coloured by Ellen Hutchins after W. J. Hooker, two folding. (Plates 37-42 are inlaid, 4 of which have plate numbers supplied in pencil, unobtrusive light browning to most plates, occasional light spotting affecting a few plates only, short repair along platemark of plate 252.) Grained calf gilt by L. Staggemeier with his ticket in volume I, marbled endpapers, gilt edges (Vols I and II with spine restored at head, some light wear to extremities). FIRST EDITION, ONE OF ONLY TWENTY-FIVE LARGE-PAPER COPIES of Turner's 'magnificent' work (DNB) on seaweeds. The work offers descriptions and images of recently-discovered species, including many from Australia. A distinguished banker, antiquary and botanist, Turner's scientific studies centred on cryptogamic plants. A large inheritance enabled him to publish such sumptuous works as the Fuci , and he formed large botanical collections, mainly of algae, which are preserved at Kew within the herbarium of his son-in-law, Sir William Jackson Hooker. A genus of moss, 'Dawsonia', was named after him by Robert Brown Nissen BBI 2011; Pritzel 9567; Stafleu and Cowan 15367. (4)