Hibiscus rosa-sinensis rubraScarlet hibiscus. 鈥楾his; as well as the other varieties of this magnificent plant; is much cultivated in China and has been introduced many years into this country. In India the flowers are used by the natives to decorate their houses and temples and some of the Europeans there (not much in proof of their superior taste) call it the shoe plant and use these beautiful flowers to rub over their shoes instead of blacking.'Drawn by T. Boys; engraved by George Cooke. Conrad Loddiges and Sons published an illustrated catalogue of the nursery's plants entitled the Botanical Cabinet. The monthly magazine featured 10 hand-coloured illustrations and ran from 1817 to 1833 to total 2;000 plates. The publication introduced many exquisite camellias from China; exotic orchids and lilies from the New World; and about 100 varieties of heaths from South Africa; which were currently in vogue. (The Victorian era saw a series of manias for flowers - from roses and camellias to heaths; ferns and orchids.)Most of the plates were drawn by the author George Loddiges and local engraver George Cooke (1781~1834). The others were drawn by Loddiges' daughter Jane and his brother William; Cooke's brother William and his son Edward (who became a leading Victorian artist); apprentice engravers T. Boys and William Miller (who later became principal engraver to the artist J.M.W. Turner) and Miss Rebello. All the plates were engraved on copper by George Cooke.