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Fantastically detailed representation of the vertical distribution of plants on Mount Chimborazo, an extinct volcano in Ecuador. The diagram is based on an illustration produced by German explorer Alexander von Humboldt. When he scaled Chimborazo in 1805, almost to the top, he thought it was the tallest mountain in the world. Title: Physical Geography: Humboldt's Distribution of Plants in Equinoctial America, According to Elevation Above the Level of the Sea. Engraver: Geo. Aikman, Sculpt. (George Aikman) Source: (Black's General Atlas). Published 1852 by Adam & Charles Black, Edinburgh. This is a stunning early example of plant geography / phytogeography. Left side: vertical scale in feet. Right side: vertical scale in metres. Scales ascend to 7000 metres / 23,000 feet. Heights of other mountains are indicated, for example Cotopaxi, Popocatepetl, Mont Blanc and Vesuvius. (The word equinoctial indicates equal day and night, or equatorial.) Other details on this antique engraving indicate vegetation and mineral composition, also tree and snow lines, rock formations etc. Humboldt is said to have collected 60,000 specimens, including plants, to help with this detailed plant distribution map.