Pinetum Britannicum Series: Cedrus Deodara

This beautiful portrait of Cedrus deodara, commonly known as the Himalayan cedar, is from The Pinetum Britannicum (1884), a massive 3-volume work by Edward Ravenscroft (1816-1890), which describes hardy coniferous trees from around the world that were cultivated in British gardens in the 19th century, when exotic conifers were all the rage. It is filled with William Richardson’s exquisite hand-colored lithographs of individual trees growing in their native habitat or in important British gardens. The Pinetum Britannicum is considered one of the greatest works on conifers ever published, and both Napoleon III and Queen Victoria were among its subscribers.


A native of the Himalayas, Cedrus deodara is the most refined and graceful of cedars. Covered with light green clusters of needles, its lower branches sweep to the ground, and its upper branches are evenly spaced as they rise in a beautiful vertical symmetry.

This pigment print on Arches Infinity Textured 230 g/m stock faithfully reproduces the colors of the original. The print is in a limited edition of 300 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Unframed.

From the Rare Book Collections of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library at The New York Botanical Garden.

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