Modern botanical gardens harbour collections that are usually a mixture of exotic and indigenous plants, frequently linked to the history of the garden. Their purpose is to awe or please their... Show moreModern botanical gardens harbour collections that are usually a mixture of exotic and indigenous plants, frequently linked to the history of the garden. Their purpose is to awe or please their visitors, to stimulate curiosity, raise awareness about the human impact on the environment and sometimes to actively preserve species that are threatened in their natural habitats. The earliest botanical gardens, however, started as places where prospective physicians learned to recognise medicinal plants. In this chapter we examineseveral herbaria collected in, or related to, the Leiden Hortus botanicus, from its origins to the mid-eighteenth century, showing how the collection, cultivation and identification of plant species intertwined with the education of physicians and pharmacists. Show less
Offerhaus, A.; Stefanaki, A.; Andel, T.R. van 2022
Collecting plants and making herbarium specimens was quintessential for an eighteenth century botanist. Studying the extant plant specimens from this period can give us valuable insights into how... Show moreCollecting plants and making herbarium specimens was quintessential for an eighteenth century botanist. Studying the extant plant specimens from this period can give us valuable insights into how scholars approached the science of botany. Several dried plant specimens in the 18(th)-century Van Royen collection kept at Naturalis, Leiden, have at one time been recognised as originating from Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738). The aim of this study is to establish which specimens come from Boerhaave and try to answer the question why relatively few of these survived. We verified which specimens came from Boerhaave and updated the existing identifications of 88 specimens. We studied the way the specimens were mounted, the handwritings on the various labels and the use of decorations. We taxonomically identified them and linked the accompanying labels to the seed register of the Leiden Hortus Botanicus, where these specimens originated from. The transcription of the labels provided us with valuable information about the introduction and cultivation of indigenous and exotic, predominantly Mediterranean, plant species. Little effort has been put into connecting the contribution by Boerhaave with the living collection of the Leiden Hortus botanicus at the time, that is, the herbarium specimens we now know to have been described by Boerhaave. By studying these specimens we made his contribution visible. Show less
Directors of the Leiden botanic garden Adriaan van Royen (1704-1779) and his nephew David van Royen (1727-1799) accumulated a large number of plant specimens in their herbarium collection. The "Van... Show moreDirectors of the Leiden botanic garden Adriaan van Royen (1704-1779) and his nephew David van Royen (1727-1799) accumulated a large number of plant specimens in their herbarium collection. The "Van Royen herbarium" at Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden, the Netherlands) holds 89 specimens currently attributed to the Prussian botanist Jacob Breyne (1637-1697). The identity, provenance and history of these Breyne specimens were never studied, although this collection may contain specimens missing from two book herbaria by Breyne (dated 1659 and 1673). Here, we reveal the species represented by the Breyne specimens in the Van Royen collection, as well as their origin and the information contained on their labels. A total of 75 species were identified in Breyne's specimens, mostly collected in the surroundings of Montpellier (south-eastern France). Of the 89 specimens attributed to Breyne, 54 contain labels in his own handwriting, confirming they were collected (or at least owned) by him. The specimens are not derived from Breyne's book herbaria also kept in the Leiden collection, as these contain mostly Polish plants. Breyne most likely did not collect these specimens himself, but received them from one or several of his correspondents with ties to Montpellier. It is not known how Breyne's specimens ended up in the Van Royen herbarium (possibly through his son Johann Philipp), but they provide an insight in the flora of Mediterranean France in the 17(th) century, and reflect changes in nomenclature and the state of botanical science at that time. Show less
Andel, T.R. van; Vos, R.A.; Michels, E.; Stefanaki, A. 2022
We reveal the enigmatic origin of one of the earliest surviving botanical collections. The 16th-century Italian En Tibi herbarium is a large, luxurious book with c. 500 dried plants, made in the... Show moreWe reveal the enigmatic origin of one of the earliest surviving botanical collections. The 16th-century Italian En Tibi herbarium is a large, luxurious book with c. 500 dried plants, made in the Renaissance scholarly circles that developed botany as a distinct discipline. Its Latin inscription, translated as “Here for you a smiling garden of everlasting flowers”, suggests that this herbarium was a gift for a patron of the emerging botanical science. We follow an integrative approach that includes a botanical similarity estimation of the En Tibi with contemporary herbaria (Aldrovandi, Cesalpino, “Cibo”, Merini, Estense) and analysis of the book’s watermark, paper, binding, handwriting, Latin inscription and the morphology and DNA of hairs mounted under specimens. Rejecting the previous origin hypothesis (Ferrara, 1542–1544), we show that the En Tibi was made in Bologna around 1558. We attribute the En Tibi herbarium to Francesco Petrollini, a neglected 16th-century botanist, to whom also belongs, as clarified herein, the controversial “Erbario Cibo” kept in Rome. The En Tibi was probably a work on commission for Petrollini, who provided the plant material for the book. Other people were apparently involved in the compilation and offering of this precious gift to a yet unknown person, possibly the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand I. The En Tibi herbarium is a Renaissance masterpiece of art and science, representing the quest for truth in herbal medicine and botany. Our multidisciplinary approach can serve as a guideline for deciphering other anonymous herbaria, kept safely “hidden” in treasure rooms of universities, libraries and museums. Show less
Stefanaki, A.; Thijsse, G.; Uffelen, G. van; Eurlings, M.C.M.; Andel, T.R. van 2018
‘Here for you a smiling garden of everlasting flowers’ is the inscription in Latin of a 16th century Italian herbarium kept in Leiden, the Netherlands, since 1690. The origin and botanical content... Show more‘Here for you a smiling garden of everlasting flowers’ is the inscription in Latin of a 16th century Italian herbarium kept in Leiden, the Netherlands, since 1690. The origin and botanical content of this herbarium, one of the oldest in existence today, have remained largely unknown. Here we present the plants included in this so-called ‘En Tibi’ herbarium, which comprises 473 specimens (455 taxa, 97 families), and discuss the geographical provenance of the book based on certain plant traits. The En Tibi is of great historical value as it contains some of the earliest herbarium records of numerous species, among which are useful plants such as oregano, thyme, tomato and hot pepper. Although prepared as a present, the En Tibi is a fine example of new botanical trends that arose in 16th century Italy. It is an attempt to reconstruct the herbals of classical authors such as Dioscorides, Theophrastus and Pliny, not with illustrations but with actual plant individuals. More than just a collection of medicinal plants, the En Tibi shows an emerging interest in the study of taxonomy and the discovery of new plants, unknown to classical authors. Analysis of the intrinsic and extrinsic traits of the plants reveals a temperate-Mediterranean origin, suggesting that the book was made in central or north–central Italy. Our botanical identification is the first necessary step to further elucidate the origin of the En Tibi and trace the mysterious compiler of this magnificent collection. Show less
Stech, M.; Andel, T.R. van; Aptroot, A.; Bertin, A.; Stefanaki, A. 2018
