Botanical literature, whether it is an illustration of a specimen or an academic investigation, requires an equal role in the preservation of the historical record. Whether it is false or a misconception, which anecdotal information often turns out to be when investigated, our understanding of the environment has the potential for insights and remedies.
Source: http://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/record=b1225994
At the Plant Research Organization, we promote a philosophy of learning, which promotes a critical understanding of information relating to plant life. Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian naturalist and explorer of the Americas, melded manuscript illustrations with long streams of observations and data, which revealed the interconnectedness of the world. In accordance with this style of learning, we accept that art is at our foundation of scientific understanding, which is aiding our imagination and revealing the reoccurring phenomena of the world.
Materials differ in their capacity to survive the elements, and the flux of human activities. How we preserve information is related to the effects of time’s affect on degradation. Considering that this website is only accessible through the chemical stability of compounds constructing circuits and networks, access to printed word is important to the continuation of our access to perspectives relating to plants and their role in our lives. Stone is historically one of our most reliable materials in preserving information, yet the harshness of the material world may prove merciless against these artifacts unless protected from the changing environment.
Nature’s degradation is a reality of life, and is not only a destructive force but also a force which gives room for new opportunities. In the absence of documents, botanists may still repeat the cycle and arrive to similar conclusion on the nature of plant life, but the thrill of discovery will always accompany them.
Ideas from far places can leave a lasting impression. The observations of Alexander von Humboldt allowed the continents to communicate in a grandiose way. The lands of the Americas, spanning various regions and ethnic boundaries, were explored and the near ancient culture the Aztec, or the Meschika, were introduced to Prussian and French scholars, and tales were told of the interior of the jungle where malaria deprived. For us this story of exploration, observation, and communication illustrates the importance of combining our knowledge of plants together with an appreciation of history, and its preservation.
At the Hanbury gardens in the region of Liguria within Italy, there exist specimens such as this Brahea armata, the Mexican Blue Palm, which found itself a showcase of the exotic flora from the Americas and victims to the conflict of World War II. Shrapnel has pierced its bark and left scars of the chaotic and destructive environment of war. Plants have connected the world in a profound way since the exploration age, a plant species arrival to the Americas and another from there to Europe is a matter of human intervention. The legacy of these migrations as a consequence of human exploration may provide a record sufficient to study the effect of environmental factors on the growth of a species.
زكرياء ابن محمد القزوينى ,كتاب عجائب المخلوقات وغرائب الموجودات Zakarīyā’ ibn Muḥammad al-Qazwīnī , Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing, ~1537/944
Hopefully these thoughts inspire inquiry into the serious matter. Whether a specimen in a garden, a written document or an online blog, the survival of information is unsure and ultimately out of our control.
PRO - Plant Research Organization 