In eighteenth century European literature and philosophy metaphors of cultural transfer and transplantation are abundant. The literal, botanical meaning of the word ‘transplant’ (German: ‘verpflanzen’/ French: ‘transplanter’) has inspired a variety of figural and metaphorical conceptualizations of the terms ‘transplanting’ and ‘transplantation’ including diverse forms of cultural contact and exchange. The following essay examines this surprising phenomenon with reference to the writings of Voltaire, Goethe, Herder and Schiller, and explores in how far the differentiation of the imagery in question has stimulated innovative notions of cultural transmission and thus contributed to the further development of transcultural concepts.