The Poison Tree: Selected Writings of Rumphius on the Natural History of the Indies

by Georg Eberhard Rumpf, E.M. Beekman (Editor)

Illustrated with sixteen plates from the first edition of Ambonese Herbarium, The Poison Tree demonstrates why Rumphius was the greatest authority on tropical flora of the time, exercising considerable influence on subsequent research, and recognized as a major source by specialists in the field. The work is also an intriguing source book on native use of plants in the seventeenth century, native customs, lore, religion, and historical information.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1981

Reviews

[Bill Leach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a selected set of writings of Rumphius from his "Ambonese Herbal", interpreted by E. M. Beekman. Rumphius was an early German naturalist who worked for the Dutch VOC for much of his later life. As a sideline, he studied the flora and fauna of the Indies and in particular Ambon where he was stationed in his later life. His Herbal was a major work of twelve books in seven volumes that represents the major part of his investigations. Publication was delayed until 50 years after his death. It was completed years before the "Systema Naturea" by Linnaeus, who drew upon the work and adopted over 350 of the names assigned by Rumphius. As an example of it's completeness, while descriptions of only about 50 plants had been published before, the Herbal describes 700.

E. M. Beekman was a Dutch academic with a evidently huge knowledge of languages and historical writings. He translated Rumphius' seven volume Herbal. In this book, he appends each of Rumphius' articles with a variety of notes, which add greatly to a modern reader understanding the writings of Rumphius. Beekman's knowledge of historical works and natural history allow interpretation of names used by Rumphius that are no longer in use.

Beekman provides an excellent introduction to Rumphius, speaking to the attraction of his writings. He writes that "Rumphius' experience of nature was an aesthetic one ...", observing that his writings have a spirit of sympathy not often found in other early texts on natural history.

The articles included in the book include sea animals, plants and minerals. Some are surprisingly inconclusive as in the Mizzens, where it is hard to tell whether he is describing Vella vella or Physaria. Plants include the Poison Tree, the durian and the Suzanna-flower (now Pecteilis susannae), named for his first wife. Rumphius' descriptions of local uses for the species as food and as medicine are intriguing.