Some observations on two early Cape florilegia

Abstract

A number of early Cape florilegia and codices exist in libraries in Europe and South Africa. Four of these florilegia are closely related and are housed in the Brenthurst Library, Johannesburg, the Botanical Research Institute, Pretoria, the Bodleian Library, Oxford and the Rijksherbarium, Leiden. The first two are compared and discussed in detail in this article. Arising from this comparison, a new interpretation of the interrelationship and origins of the four florilegia is proposed. The key volume is the florilegium in the Botanical Research Institute, Pretoria.