Stories from Plant Collections: Science, History and Culture

Описание: We bring together four historical plant collections and research institutes to show the ways plants and people share a history and a future.

The panel consisted of —

Dr Zoë Goodwin from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE)

RBGE is the national botanic garden of Scotland and a world leading research and education centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation. RBGE's living collection consists of more than 13,000 plant species and the herbarium contains more than 3 million specimens from across the UK and around the world.

Dr Zoë Goodwin is a tropical botanist specialising in the flora of the American tropics, in particular she is interested in the savanna and dry forests of Central and South America. She is also interested in the history of tropical taxa through herbarium specimens, and how these herbarium specimens have influenced our understanding of tropical diversity.

Dr Mark Nesbitt from Kew Gardens

The Economic Botany Collection at Kew Gardens contains 100,000 plant raw materials and products from around the world, dating from ancient Egypt to the current day. Established in 1847 to showcase useful plants, in the 21st century it is a resource for diverse communities and a stimulus for critical engagement with Kew’s history.

Dr Mark Nesbitt is curator of the Economic Botany Collection and Visiting Professor at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research interests are in understanding human uses of plants through time, and the development of interdisciplinary research in botanic gardens. His current projects focus on medicinal plants, materials, and historical collections.

Dr Anneke Prins from Rothamsted Research

Rothamsted Research, the oldest agricultural research institute in the world, is home to the world’s longest running agricultural field experiments and their unique collection of samples dating back to the 19th century. These are still used by researchers to track long term changes in soil and plant health.

Dr Anneke Prins is a plant biochemist with a background in research, publishing and education. She has an interest in the usage of wheat collections and crop wild relatives to improve commercial wheat for more nutritious wheat-based foods.

Dr Mark Spencer from the Linnean Society of London (LSL)

The LSL is the world’s oldest active society devoted to natural history. Founded in 1788 by Sir James Edward Smith (1759–1828), who was its first President, the Society takes its name from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) whose botanical, zoological and library collections have been in our keeping since 1829. These unique collections are of continuing fundamental importance as a primary reference for naming of plants and animals.

Dr Mark Spencer is an experienced and internationally respected botanist. His expertise covers many disciplines including forensic botany, the plants of North-west Europe, invasive species and the history of botanical science. He is He is also the honorary curator of botany at the Linnean Society.

Jonathan Drori, the chair of the event, is author of the international bestsellers Around the World in 80 Trees and Around the World in 80 Plants. He’s on the Board of Cambridge University Botanic Garden and an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Forest Research at Birmingham University. He was previously a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and of the Woodland Trust.
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The Linnean Society works to inform, involve and inspire people of all ages about nature and its wider interactions through our collections, programmes and publications. Founded in 1788, the Society takes its name from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778).

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