CRISTVAL ACOSTA OCH GARCIA DA ORTA, Tractado delas drogas, y medicinas de las Indias Orientales.., Burgos 1578.

Con sus Plantas debuxadasal biuo por Christoual A costa medico y cirujano que las vio ocularmente. En Burgos, por Martin de Victoria impressor de su Magestad. Illustrated with woodcuts, later binding in vellum.

First edition of an essential work on non-European flora and Indian plants with medicinal use. Acosta, a Portuguese physician and botanist, traveled to the East Indies before 1550. In Goa he met with the botanist Garcia d'Orta. Da Orta had spent many years in Goa and extensively studied the local flora in search of plants with potential medicinal applications. Acosta's work is systematic, first-hand observations of both East and West Indian plants and its illustrations after Acosta's own accurate drawings. Among the Asian plants described and illustrated with bold woodcuts are cinnamon, mango, tamarind, pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cardomom, coconut, sandalwood, carambola, pineapple, sugar cane and the rubber tree.

Wear. Stains.