Naturalist illustration of Dombeya Ameliæ by Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Dombeya Ameliæ is an illustration that captures the magnificence of this plant with its elegant flowers and lush leaves. Pierre-Joseph Redouté, the famous 18th-century botanical illustrator, demonstrates his talent for depicting the diversity of flora with great precision.

In the publication dated 1827 from which the plate is taken, the detail of this illustration is given as follows:
This beautiful plant is native to Madagascar, from where it was received, in 1828, in the gardens of Europe, and particularly in that of M. Soulange Bodin, in Fromont. It was first known under the name of Astrapœa viscosa, because of the viscous coating which covers the upper end of its stems. It flowered for the first time in the King's garden, in Neuilly, where the beauty of its flower struck the eyes of HM Queen Marie-Amélie who commissioned M. Redouté to paint it. I recognized that it formed a new species of the genus Dombeya, and I dedicated it to the august princess who had, so to speak, made its discovery. It was described in detail in the Annals of the Royal Horticultural Institute of Fromont, notebook of March 1832. Having flowered some time later in Belgium, the horticulturists of this country, who were not aware of its publication, gave it the name Dombeya reflexa.