Nova plantarurn genera juxta Tournefortii methodum disposita, quibus plantae MDCCCC recensentur, scilicet fere MCCCC nondum observatae, reliquae suis sedibus restitutae; quarum verum figuram exhibere visum fuit, eae ad DL aeneis tabulis CVIII graphice expressae sunt; adnotationibus atque observationibus praecipue fungorum, mucorum, affiniumque plantarum adjectis.

Hardcover. Fine. Illustrated with 108 copper engraved plates, historiated initials and figurative tail pieces. 4to. Contemporary half-vellum-backed marbled paper-covered boards, gilt letters on spine; title in red and black with engraved vignette, Florence, Typ. Bernardi Paperini 1729. First Edition of this major work by the father of modern mycology. Micheli was one of the most prominent botanists of his age. Linnaeus named the genus Michelia, a Southeast Asian relative of the magnolia, in his honour. He was appointed botanist to Cosimo III de Medici in 1706, and served as professor of botany in Pisa and curator of the Orto Botanico di Firenze. He discovered the spores of mushrooms, was a leading authority on cryptogams and named several important genera of microfungi. The present work marked a major advance in our knowledge of fungi. Micheli gives descriptions of 1900 plants, of which about 1400 were described for the first time. Among these were 900 fungi and lichens, accompanied by 73 plates. He included information on the planting, origin and growth of fungi, mucors, and allied plants, and was the first to point out that fungi have reproductive bodies or spores. (Hunt 480; Nissen BBI 1363; Stafleu & Cowan 5974). Some light scuffing to covers, o/w a crisp, clean copy. Fine.