In the Herbarium: The Hidden World of Collecting and Preserving Plants

Description

Collections of preserved plant specimens, known as herbaria, have existed for nearly five centuries. These pressed and labeled plants have been essential resources for scientists, allowing them to describe and differentiate species and to document and research plant changes and biodiversity over time―including changes related to climate. Review "An enchanting travelogue ranging across centuries of plant collecting, In the Herbarium is also an urgent reminder of the value of natural history collections to science, the humanities, and art."--Yota Batsaki, Dumbarton Oaks "In this engaging, never-before-told story, Maura Flannery shows us how the herbarium has been at the center of our centuries-long quest to understand the world of plants."--Peter Crane, author of Ginkgo and president, Oak Spring Garden Foundation "Maura Flannery's love of all things botanical permeates through her writing, creating a story of botany past, present, and future seen through the lens of the herbarium."--Caroline Cornish, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew "A stimulating and informative book to be read (and re-read) from cover to cover as a source of enjoyment, enlightenment and inspiration."--D. S. Ingram, joint lead author/editor of Science and the Garden "A very useful and timely overview of the long history of engagement with botanical knowledge."--Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, author of Unifying Biology: The Evolutionary Synthesis and Evolutionary Biology Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION: Opening Hidden Gardens ONE: Rooted in an Herbarium TWO: Early Botany THREE: The Technology and Art of Herbaria FOUR: Early Exploration FIVE: The Value of Collecting SIX: Linnaeus and Classification SEVEN: Botanical Exploration EIGHT: Gardens NINE: Managing Exploration and Collecting TEN: Natural History and Botany ELEVEN: Evolution and Botany TWELVE: Changing Botany THIRTEEN: Useful Plants and Ethnobotany FOURTEEN: Understanding and Conserving Biodiversity FIFTEEN: Online Herbaria SIXTEEN: A Broader Vision: Herbaria and Culture EPILOGUE: Herbaria Blooming Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z