In the 1800s, respected horticulturist Sir Joseph Hooker suffered from bruised shins and stockings full of leeches in his quest for new species of rhododendron. Collector E. H. Wilson was plagued by what he called a "lily limp" after surviving a rock slide and a stampede of pack mules while harvesting the Chinese flower in 1910.

Although these were not casual enthusiasts, it is understandably difficult to appreciate the botanical fervor among the educated and well-to-do of years past. Now that affordable and plentiful orchids can be bought from florists and even grocers, perhaps more understandable to us is the trade in antique botanical prints.

Colorful and lush and finite in number, botanicals are mainstays of the antique-print dealer's repertoire. A flower captured in full bloom is an ephemeral moment that begs any nature lover's attention. And when that rendering is delicate, bright, and hand-colored, the hunt has been fruitful. But prettiness aside, the science and history of the prints also tell an interesting part of the story.

"Botanical prints were done by pioneers and great artists of the past," says Christopher W. Lane at the Philadelphia Print Shop, a leading dealer in important botanicals. "To some extent there are two approaches to collecting them. There's the historical approach -- the search for prints by Pierre Joseph Redouté and Georg Ehret, which have retained more value because there's more to them than how they look. But what really drives botanicals is aesthetics. A beautiful, well-made botanical print, no matter who made it, has value."