L'Obel's first work was the
Stirpium aduersaria noua, published in London in 1571. The
Plantarum seu stirpium historia of 1576 was intended as a companion piece, and was published in conjunction with a re-issue of
Stirpium aduersaria noua, as
Nova stirpium adversaria In 1571 l'Obel published his Flemish translation of
Plantarum, as
Kruydtboeck (Herb book), and in 1605 he reissued the
Stirpium. The
Plantarum deals with several subjects, including descriptions and illustrations (more than 2,000) of plants known to l'Obel, with plant names given in Latin, German, English, French, Flemish, Italian, and Spanish. It also includes a history of botany and the use of plants in treating diseases. It was published by
Christophe Plantin, whose
workshop handled most of the major botanical works of the period and accumulated a large stock of
woodcuts which were recycled between all these publications. The work is notable as one of the earliest attempts to classify plants by their natural characteristics rather than medicinal properties. Once
Kruydtboeck was published, Plantin issued the engravings as a separate album, arranged according to L'Obel's classification. == Structure ==