[JAPANESE HERBARIUM]. Plantae Alpicolae Japonicae (Fasc. I: 1-100)

Yokohama, Japan: Yokohama Nursery Co., Ltd. Together 100 specimens mounted on large folio sheets; each sheet is folded once to form 4 "pages," the first two being bland (protecting the specimens), the specimens are carefully mounted on "page 3," the verso of which is blank. The folded sheets measure 39 x 26 cm. Housed in two original loose boards, with tipped- in hand-painted title plate. Original binding string present at top of upper board, no others located. Corners lightly bumped. A few small scratches, a minor scrape, and a small stain to the upper board illustration. Specimen no. 30 lacks handwritten label but is captioned on the washi folio. Some wear, foxing, and occasional tears to folio extremities. Occasional water stains to folios also, not affecting specimens or labels. Housed in modern custom-made Paulownia wood box and purple cloth chemise (furoshiki). ASTONISHING COLLECTION OF ONE HUNDRED CUTTINGS OF JAPANESE ALPINE PLANTS GATHERED BY THE PIONEERING HORTICULTURALISTS AT THE YOKOHAMA NURSERY, GATHERED BETWEEN 1904 AND 1920 FROM SOME OF JAPAN'S HIGHEST MOUNTAINS.

Each specimen in the collection is housed in a folded leaf of washi paper and is accompanied by a printed label filled out by hand. Information on each label includes the name of the specimen in Latin and Japanese, the mountain on which it grows, and the month and year of collection.

The cuttings are preserved in REMARKABLY GOOD CONDITION, with almost no defects. The specimens were collected from over twenty mountains, some of which rank amongst the highest in Japan, including Mt. Fuji, Mt. Ontake, Mt. Akanagi, and Mt. Nantai. This is a unique 'hand-picked' compilation by the most prominent Japanese nursery of the Meiji period.

A recent and very useful assessment of the significance of the Yokohama Nursery is given by Stephen Sinon in "Plant Talk: Yokohama Nursery Catalogs" (online at the New York Botanical Gardens website: Inside Our Collections, 5/5/21). The Yokohama Nursery continues to flourish to the present day. According to the nursery's own website, the firm was founded in February 1890 as the "Limited Liability Yokohama Ueki Shokai" with Uhei Suzuki as the representative. The nursery became the first Japanese trading company to import and export plants, and opened a branch office in San Francisco. In Oct. 1893, the firm changed name to Yokohama Nursery Co., Ltd.

MUST BE SEEN TO BE FULLY APPRECIATED.