Flora Excursoria Hafniensis is a concise botanical guide documenting the flora in and around Copenhagen, Denmark, authored by Salomon Thomas Nicolai Drejer (1813, Eveldrup, Viborg – 21 April 1842, Copenhagen).

Published in 1838, during the Age of Enlightenment, the work reflects a growing fascination with local plant life at a time when the natural sciences were flourishing.

To me, this renewed interest in flowers and the natural world also gestures toward the ideals of Romanticism, which would soon follow.

Intended as a practical manual for students, botanists, and nature enthusiasts, it catalogues both native and naturalized plant species, offering brief descriptions and notes on habitat.

As both a scientific document and a historical artifact, Flora Excursoria Hafniensis remains a valuable record of Copenhagen’s botanical landscape.

The book comprises 340 pages, including an unnumbered errata page at the very end.

The photo shows a first edition of Flora Excursoria Hafniensis from 1838, which I acquired about a year ago from Herman H.J. Lynge & Søn.

In 2023, the book inspired a photographic series of mine, which bears the same title.

I've written a more detailed introduction on my Fotosidan blog. The post is in Danish, but it should be easily translatable to English for those interested.

Both Latin and Danish names are provided in the index and species listings—the Danish ones often strikingly poetic: Agermaane, hjortetröst, hörsilke, natskygge, remslæbe, skovstjerne, troldurt, tusindfryd, vandkryber, vandnavle, vinterblomme og vedbend, for example.

Background: vintage hemp cloth.

Nikon D4 & Carl Zeiss 50mm f/2.

Also see:

Moons, Castles, Trees | The Wrong Biennale '25-'26