Iconography of Tropical Plants Vol.VII
by Kenneth Ting-Yu Lin
25.2 x 18 cm
122 pages
Silkscreen, Laser & Riso Print

Special Edition of 22
Edition of 300
June 2026

"Iconography of Tropical Plants in Taiwan" is originally a photographic collection of tropical plants photographed at the Taipei Botanical Garden before World War II. At the time, the climate of  Japan did not allow tropical plants to be cultivated under natural conditions. Consequently, after Taiwan became a Japanese territory, the cultivation and development of tropical plants became one of the key objectives of the colonial administration. Very little is known about the author, Yakuro Kudo (1889–?), and no photographs of him are known to survive. It is only known that he worked as a plant cultivation technician at the Taipei Botanical Garden.
Published over a span of fourteen years (1929–1943), "Iconography of Tropical Plants in Taiwan" consists of six volumes documenting 180 species. It remains Taiwan’s earliest and most comprehensive visual record devoted to tropical plants. The book "Iconography of Tropical Plants Vol. VII" seeks to trace the history of the collection through its various editions, publishers, and transformations over time.

Why did it took so long to publish six volumes at the time? The Vol.Vll serve as a "shadow" of the original copy and explores the question on traces - the traces of antiquarian books (bibliology), the traces of time (color and stains), and the traces of colonialism in east asia - with the ambiguous love towards plants and nature, and the reflection of colonized places.


You can find a copy in the following bookstores:
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