Decorative scientific painting, ideal for a calming and scholarly atmosphere - Imperial Paulownia by Charles d'Orbigny

Engraving reproduction of: Imperial Paulownia (Paulownia imperialis, Sieb. et Zucc.)

Illustration taken from the Universal Dictionary of Natural History, written under the direction of Charles Henry Dessalines d'Orbigny (1806-1876) and published from 1841 to 1849.

This work, considered one of the major achievements of the 19th century in terms of scientific synthesis and quality popularization, wonderfully illustrating the great beauty and impressive diversity of the biological world, was supplemented by a certain amount of scientific information, some extracts of which are reproduced below.

Important note: the scientific classification elements of the time have been preserved as they are and may of course be obsolete today.

Scientific classification and description of the species present in the engraving:

Class of Dicotyledonous Plants
Subclass Monopetals
Subdivision of Eumonopetaleae-hypogynous
Order of Anisandreas
Family of Scrophularinae
Imperial Paulownia (Paulownia imperialis, Sieb. et Zucc.)
• Reduced to a quarter.
Fig. 1. Corolla tube opened and spread to show the stamens.
Fig. 2. Flower in which the corolla has been removed and a lobe of the calyx has been folded back to reveal the pistil.
Fig. 3. Magnified stigma.
Fig. 4. Cross section of the ovary.
Fig. 5. Fragment of the seed wing membrane, magnified 50 diameters.
Fig. 6. Ripe capsule, already opening, of natural size.
Fig. 7. Ripe seed, magnified eight times.
Fig. 8. Longitudinal section of the seed, showing from outside to inside: the extended wing-like test, the brown internal integument, the albumen, the embryo.
Fig. 9. Cross section of the seed.
Fig. 10. Isolated embryo.