Crescenzi
was born of a good family in Bologna, Italy. He
studied logic, natural history, medicine and law in
the University of Bologna, and became a lawyer and
writer. Tired of law practice he decided to write
about agricultural matters. His book entitled
Ruralia Commoda contained much information
relative to domestic plants and animals. The books is
considered to be the best medieval treatise on
agriculture (about 1306). It was very popular in
continental Europe, was translated into several
European languages and it exists in a large number of
manuscripts. It was likewise printed many times. The
book was composed with the purpose of providing the
intelligent farmer with a practical account of all
aspects of farming. It included material concerning
plant growth, extracted from the work of Albertus
Magnus as well as the arrangement of farm
buildings and water supply. Among the subjects treated
were:
1. Cultivation of cereals, peas and beans.
2. Cultivation of grapes and making of wines.
3. Cultivation of fruit trees, vegetables, medicinal
plants and flowers.
4. Care of woods.
His most original writing involved an elaborate
presentation of grafting of grapes, trees and the
insect larvae destroying plants. he quoted Palladius,
Columella, as well as other ancient authorities.
HERBALISTS AND NATURALISTS - 14TH-16TH
CENTURIES
After the 13th Century, descriptive botany and zoology were carried
on by herbalists and naturalists who had great breadth of interests.
Matthaeus Sylvaticus composed a dictionary of medical recipes
entitled Pandectae (1317). He included the results of his personal
observations of plants made by traveling in Europe. He kept a collection
of domestic and foreign plants in his botanic garden at Salerno, Italy.
This was one of the earliest botanic gardens established by lay individuals
as opposed to monastery gardens. Botanic gardens associated with medical
faculties, began thereupon to appear. The Botanic Garden of Padua
was established on 29 June, 1545. The most accurate source on the
history of this garden is: Minelli A. (ed.), 1995. L'Orto Botanico
di Padova 1545-1995. Marsilio Editori, Venezia, 312 pp. ISBN 88-317-6258-3.
The first botanic garden associated to a medical faculty was established
in Pisa in 1543-1544. See: Garbari F., Tongiorgi Tomasi L., Tosi A.,
1991. Giardino dei Semplici: l'Orto Botanico di Pisa dal XVI al XIX
secolo. Pacini Editore, Pisa, 397 pp. ISBN 88-7781-058-0. Of the three
key botanists involved in the garden management in the XVI century,
only A. Cesalpino is included in the relevant section in Professor
Howlett's History of Horticulture. Luca Ghini (1490-1556), founder
of the garden, and Giuseppe Casabona (1535?-1595), who introduced
many plants from the levant, are not mentioned, and should be investigated
by those seeking additional information on this topic.
The most outstanding herbal of this period was that
compiled by Benedetto Rinio in Venice in 1410.
This herbal was illustrated by 440 magnificent plates
by the Venetian artist, Andrea Amadio. This involved
450 domestic and 111 foreign plants. Brief notes
included season of collection, part of plant
containing the drug, the authorities used and the name
of each plant in Latin, Greek, German, Arabic, the
various Italian dialects, as well as Slavonic. The
purpose was to assist herbalists in gathering correct
plants.
At this time Venice was especially noted as the
center of the drug trade between East and West. His
herbal was the authority in the many apothecary shops
as well as the authority in identifying plants.
