De cellulis antherarum fibrosis nec non de granorum pollinarium formis commentatio phytotomica

Purkyne, Jan Evangelista (1787-1869). De cellulis antherarum fibrosis nec non de granorum pollinarium formis commentatio phytotomica. 4to. viii, 58pp. 18 lithographed plates, each with several figures. 258 x 205 mm. Original boards, original printed label on cover, slight wear. Light foxing & browning but very good. Signatures on endpaper. Breslau [Wroclaw]: Grueson, 1830.

First Edition. Purkyne anticipated Brown's discovery of the cell nucleus, and was acknowledged by Brown to have done so in his 1831 account before the Linnean Society, published at large in 1833 (see Garrison-Morton 109). "Stimulated by his colleague A.W. Henschel, Purkyne studied plant structures, mainly the elastic fibrous cells of the anthers and the form of the pollen and spores in relation to the mechanism of their dispersion. In his extensive comparative study, combining anatomy with physiology, he distinguished structural types, and drew attention to mechanical factors and the role of cells in the differentiation of plant tissues. His dynamic concept was recognized mainly by French botanists" (Dictionary of Scientific Biography). Morton, History of Botanical Science (1981), p. 376. Pritzel 7368.