26 Jane Loudon Prints of Beautiful Bulbous Plants

Inside: A collection of vintage botanical Jane Loudon prints from “The ladies’ flower-garden of bulbous ornamental plants”, 1841.

I go for a walk every morning, and it’s lovely to watch the changing seasons. Colour is finally emerging as the bulb flowers pop up everywhere!

Seeing those colourful blooms peeking through the ground always makes me smile. It’s like the world is waking up from a long nap and stretching its arms to greet us. I’ve spotted snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses so far. And I’ve just bought a bunch of tulips for my vase.

To keep with the spring mood I’m sharing these gorgeous vintage bulbous flower prints by Jane Loudon.

Who Was Jane Loudon

Jane Loudon was a prominent Victorian lady Gardner and illustrator. Her gardening books were groundbreaking in that they were written specifically for women. They were also one of the first gardening books to feature beautiful hand-coloured lithographs of flowers.

Loudon’s hugely popular book, “The Ladies’ Flower Garden of Ornamental Bulbous Plants”, was also notable for its extensive and detailed descriptions of the plants themselves and advice on cultivating them successfully in a home garden.

The book remains a classic of gardening literature and a testament to Loudon’s talent as a writer, illustrator, and gardener.

Jane Loudon was born Jane Webb in 1807, and her artistic talents were encouraged by her father, a successful artist and engraver.

She married John Claudis Loudon, a well-known garden designer, and they worked together on several gardening books and projects. She even designed one of the gardens in Regents Park London.

Jane was a successful gardener and plant collector who was particularly interested in bulb flowers despite having no formal training.

What Are Bulbous Plants

Bulbous plants are a diverse group, including popular flowers like tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths and less well-known plants like fritillaries and alliums.

The plants have a unique storage structure called a bulb, which is a modified stem that is swollen and round, often resembling an onion or garlic bulb.

The Jane Loudon Bulbous Flower Illustrations

To download the print you want, click on the title above it. A higher-resolution image will open in a new window. Click on that image to save or print it.

All the vintage botanical flower prints are in the Public Domain so are copyright free.

Plates 1 -5 Bulbous Flowers In Iris Family

Print 1: Bulbous Iris Plants

“The bulbous  Irises are few,  but their flowers are so beautiful that they are all well known.  They  are  all  hardy, and once  planted,  they  are  generally  left in  the  ground  year  after  year,  without  any  care  being  bestowed  upon  them.“

There is a collection of Japanese Iris paintings on the site.

The irises in this plate are listed below.

1. Iris caucasica – Iris of Mount Caucasus
2. I. lusitanica. Portuguese Flag-flower
3. I.Xiphioides. Pyrenean Flag-flower
4. 1. Xipbium. Spanish Flag-flower
5. . persica. Persian Iris
6. I. tuberosa. Snake’s Head Iris
   

Print 2: Moraea Flowers

The Jane Loudon Flower illustrations on the plate are as follows.

1. Moraea viscaria. Birdlime Moraea
2. M. angusta. Narrow-leaved Morsea
3. M. ramosa. Brancbing Moraea
4. M. edulis. Eatable Moraea.
5. M. lurida. Lurid-coloured Morsea
6. M. Tenoreana. Tenore”s Morsea
7. M. ciliata. Bearded Morsea

Print 3: Herbertia

The bulbous flowers on this print are as follows

1. Herbertia pulchella. Beautiful Herbertia.
2. Cypelli Herberti. Herbert’s Cypella
3. Pbalocallis plumbea. Lead-coloured Phalocallis.
4. Vieusseuxia pavonia. Orange-coloured Peacock Iris.
5. V. villosa. Purple Peacock Iris.
6. V. glaucopis. White-flowered Peacock Iris.
7. V. Bellendeni. Mr. Bellenden Ker’s Vieusseu.xia

Print 4: The Tiger Flower

“The genus Tigridia was established by Jussieu from the tiger or rather leopard-like spotting of the flowers. The flowers are indeed very remarkable, and though they are of very short duration, never lasting more than one day, they are produced in such abundance in succession as to compensate for this defect; one plant will continue flowering for two or three months in succession, and during the whole of that time will make a splendid figure in the garden.“

The flowers on the plate are:

1. Tigridia pavonia. Common Tiger-flower.
2. Rigidella flammea. Flame-coloured Rigidella.
3. Ferraria divaricata. Spreading-anthered Ferraria.
4. F. uncinata. Hook-leaved Ferraria.

Print 5 – Watsonia

This plate’s second bulbous flower species is named after the famous Dutch Botonist Maria Sybilla Merian.

1. Watsonia brevifolia. Short-leaved Watsonia
2. W. Meriana, var. punicea. Sybilla Merian’s
   Watsonia.
3. W. humilis, var. Dwarf Watsonia variety.
4. W. aletroides. Aletris-flowered Watsonia.

Prints 6 -10 Galiolis, Tritania & Iaxia

Print 6 Galdiolis

Jane Loudon prints of galdiolus.

1. G. pudibundus. Blush-flowered Gladiolus.
2. G. albidus. White Gladiolus.
3. G. floribundus. Abundant-flowering Gladiolus.
4. G. Mortonianus. Morton’s Gladiolus.

Print 7: Branching Gladiolis 2

More of Jane’s gladioli paintings.

1. G. ramosus. Branching Gladiolus.
2. G. tristis. Melancholy-looking Gladiolus.
3. G. viperatus. Viper Gladiolus.

Print 8: Gladiolus 3

1. G. Namaquensis. Namaqua-land Gladiolus.
2. G. Psittacinus. Parrot Gladiolus.
3. G. trichoremifolius. Thread-leaved Gladiolus.
4. G. algoensis. Algoa Bay Gladiolus.
5. G. Colvillii. Mr. Cohill’s Gladiolus.
6. G. Watsonius. Mr. Watson’s Gladiolus.

Print 9: Tritonia

Tritonia  (Flame Fressia) are small bulbous plants up to 80 cm, that appear in great numbers in spring. The leaves are fan-shaped. The flowers are shades of yellow, orange or brown, sweet-smelling, and give off a very strong fragrance, especially at night.

1. Tritonia fucata. Painted Tritonia.
2. 78 2. T. refracta. Reflexed Tritonia.
3. 79 3. T. longiflora. Long-flowered Tritonia.
4. 80 4. T. deusta. Blighted Tritonia.
5. 81 5. T. liueata. Pencilled Tritonia.
6. 82 6. T. flava. Yellow Tritonia.

Print 10: Ixia

Ixia (corn lily), native to South Africa.

1. Ixia ochroleuca. Cream-coloured Ixia
2. L conica. Conical Ixia.
3. I. viridiflora. Green-flowered Ixia.
4. I. monadelphia. One-anthered Ixia.
5. I. columellaris. Column-like Ixia.
6. 1. crispa. Curled-leaved Ixia

Prints 11-15 : Geissorhiza, Crocus, Zephyranthes, Guernsey Lily

Print 11: Geissorhiza

The genus name is derived from the Greek words geisson, meaning “tile”, and rhizon, meaning “root”.

1. Geissorhiza vaginata. Sheathed Tile Root.
2. G. obtusata. Obtuse-leaved Tile Root.
3. G. Rocheana. La Roche’s Tile Root.
4. G. secunda. Single-rowed Tile Root.
5. G. excisa. Cut-leaved Tile Root.
6. G. setacea. Bristly-leaved Tile Root.

Print 12: Crocus

The crocus has been known throughout recorded history, mainly as the source of saffron. Saffron is obtained from the dried stigma of Crocus sativus, an autumn-blooming species.

1. Crocus speciosus. Showy Crocus.
2. C. sativus. Cultivated, or Saffron Crocus.
3. C. biflorus. Two-flowered, or Scotch Crocus.
4. C. serotinus. Late-flowered, or autumnal Crocus.
5. C. Susianus. Turkey, or cloth-ot’-gold Crocus.
6. C. versicolor. Parti-coloured Crocus.

Print 13 Zephyranthes

Zephyranthes are temperate and tropical plants in the Amaryllis family, native to the Western Hemisphere and widely cultivated as ornamentals.

1. Zephyranthes carinata-anthes.
2. Z. tubispatha. Tubular-spathed Zephyranthes.
3. Z. Atamasco. Atamasco Lily.
4. Habranthus Andersoni. Anderson’s Habranthus.
5. H. roseus. Rosy Habranthus.
6. H. Bagnoldianus. Captain Bagnold’s Habranthus

Print 14: Belladonna

This Jane Loudon print of belladonna lilies is beautiful.

1. Belladonna purpureas. Belladonna Lily.
2. B. blanda. Blush Lily.
3. B. purpureus pallida. Belladonna Lily (variety).

Print 15: Guernsey Lily

1. Nerine corusca. Brilliant Guernsey Lily.
2. N. sarniensis. Common Guernsey Lily.
3. N. humilis. Dwarf Nerine.

Prints 16-20 Grifiinia, Cyrtanthus, Narcissus, Snowflakes

Print 16: Grifiinia

This group of bulbous flowers are native to Brazil and South America.

1. Grifiinia Ilyacinthina. Hyacinthine Griflinia.
2. G. intermedia. Intermediate Griffinia.
3. Phycella Herbertiana. Herbert’s Phycella.

Print 17: Cyrtanthus

1. Cyrtanthus obliquus. Oblique-leaved Cyrtanthus.
2. C. uniflorus, or Gastronema clavatum. Clavate
   Gastronema.
3. C. odorus. Sweet-scented Cyrtanthus

Print 18: Narcissus

There is a whole collection of vintage daffodil flower prints on the site.

1. Narcissus albicans. Great Spanish white Daffodil.
2. N. Sabini. Sabine’s Dafibdil.
3. N. conspicuus. Conspicuous Narcissus

Check out this tutorial on how to draw a daffodil.

Print 19: Snowflakes

1. Leucojum vernum. Spring Snowflake.
2. L. aestivum. Summer Snowflake.
3. L. autumnalis. Autumn-flowering Snowflake.
4. Acis rosea. Rose-coloured Acis.
5. GethyUis spiralis. Spiral-leaved Gethyllis

Print 20: Urginea

1. Urginea maritima. Sea Onion.
2. Bellevalia romana. Roman Squill.
3. Barnardia scilloides. Squill-like Barnardia.
4. Myogalum nutans. Common Harebell.
5. Uropetalon fulvum. Copper-coloured Uropetalon

Prints 21-26 Allium, Tulip, Calochortus & Lily

Print 21: Alliums

1. Allium coeruleum. Blue Allium.
2. A. longifolium. Long-leaved Garlic.
3. A. Moly. The yellow Moly.
4. A. Bisculum, Furrowed Garlic.
5. A. Neapolitanum. Neapolitan Allium.
6. A. triquetrum. Triangular-stemmed Garlic.
7. A. striatellum. Streaked Allium

Print 22: Tulips

Tulips are probably the most well-known bulbous plants. You can find many more vintage tulip paintings on the site.

1. Tulipa oculis soils. Sun’s eye Tulip.
2. T. cornuta. Horned Tulip.
3. T. sylvestris. Wild Tulip.
4. T. clusiana. Sicilian Tulip.
5. T. suaveolens. Due Van Thol Tulip.
6. T. montana. Mountain Tulip.
7. T. capensis. Cels’s Tulip.
8. T. biflora. Two-flowered Tulip.
9. T. stellata. Starry Tulip.

Print 23: More Tulips

The Jane Loudon prints of tulips remind me of those in John Thorton’s Temple of Flora, especially this one.

1. Tulipa Gesneriana.
2. The Duke of Sutherland — a Bizarre.
3. The Duchess of Montrose — a rose.
4. The Claude — a Biblomen.
5. The Parrot Tulip.

Print 24: Calochortus

The word Calochortus is derived from Greek and means “beautiful grass”.

1. Calochortus macrocarpus. Long-fruited Calochortus.
2. C. venustus. Beautiful Calochortus.
3. C. splendens. Splendid Calochortus.
4. C. luteus. Yellow Calochortus.
5. Cyclobothra barbata. Purple Cyclobothra.
6. C. alba. White Cyclobothra.
7. C. pulchella. Pretty Cyclobothra.

Plate 25: Lilies

There are many more lily illustrations on the site.

1. Lilium japonicum. Japan Lily.
2. L. lanceolatum. Lanceolate-leaved Lily.
3. L. speciosum. Showy Lily.
4. L, Thunbergianum. Thunberg’s Lily.

Print 26: More Lilies

More Jane Loudon Lily prints.

1. Lilium tigrinum.
2. L. superbum. Superb Lily.
3. L. martagon. Turk’s-cap Lily.
4. L. carolinianum.
5. L. tenuifolium.
6. L. pomponium. Pyrenean Lily.
7. L. autumnale.
8. L. chalcedonicum. Scarlet Martagon

More Vintage Flower Prints

I hope you have enjoyed these gorgeous Jane Loudon bulb flowers. You’ll find many more bulb flower prints in this collection of Renaissance Flowers.

Don’t forget to check out the other vintage botanicals on the site, particularly the vintage flowers. These include individual species as follows;

• .Lily of the Valley
• Hibiscus Flowers
• Bluebells

Other botanical artists to check out are;

• Harriet Isabel Adams
• John Lindley
• Alexander Marshal
• Pierre-Joseph Redoute
• Elizabeth Blackwell

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