Lozenge Shaped Dish from Dessert Service: Large Flowered St. John's Wort, c. 1800. Derby (Crown Derby Period) (British). Porcelain; overall: 5.6 x 30.5 x 23.7 cm (2 3/16 x 12 x 9 5/16 in.). Each dish is decorated with recognizable plants, the names of which are inscribed on the base in both Latin and English. Identifying the blossoms only became customary in the late 18th century when a single piece of porcelain was decorated with one species, and flowers were represented along with leaves, stems, seed pods, and roots. All of this reflects Carolus Linnaeuss recent invention of a scientific method to categorize all known flora. The decorations on the Derby factorys products derive from contemporary English botanical publications. For instance, illustrations in William Curtiss The Botanical Magazine served as models for the French marigold and nettle-leaved bell flower on the dessert service.