De plantis exoticis libri duo Prosperi Alpini phylosophi, medici, in Gymnasio Patauino medicamentorum simplicium professoris [...] Opus completum, editum studio, ac opera Alpini Alpini phylosophi, & medici, auctoris filij [...].: Rare second edition of what is probably the least common work by Prospero Alpino

Fully illustrated by 145 nice full-page copper engravings throughout the text; interesting provenance: Antonio Gambarotta manuscript ex libris on title-page.

Rare second edition (the first one published in 1627) of what is probably the least common work by Prospero Alpino, postumously published by his son Alpino Alpini.

The author carefully studied the flora of Crete (information on plants from other areas was later incorporated into the manuscript, which was edited by his son Alpino and completed in 1614); data concerning some of these plants were obtained by examining specimens grown from seeds sent to Alpini, for a total of 156 plants, each illustrated by an engraving formed a notable contribution to Mediterranean floristics.

This is especially true of the flora of Crete: many of whose plants were described for the first time. The accuracy of Alpini's descriptions was demonstrated by A. Baldacci and P.A. Saccardo, who identified seventy-one of the eighty-five Cretan plants on which he reported.

Alpino was the director of the Botanical Garden in Padua, where he settled after several years of traveling, including 3 years spent in Cairo (in Egypt) and along the Nile River.

The plants described were grown from seeds sent to Alpini from many distant places. One of the most interesting plates is an early representation of the 'Hyosciamus Virginianus' which H. Bartlett identifies as an American Oenothera of the sub-genus Onagra (Hunt).

Nissen BBI 21; Pritzel 112; Hunt 211; Alden 627/2; Krivatsy 240.