Botanical exploration from colonial origins to global heritage

This volume sheds light on the critical role of both herbarium sheets and handwritten documents, such as letters and postcards, in advancing botanical research. While herbarium specimens provide essential details about plant collections, they often miss the rich contextual depth found in the correspondence between botanists. These written records, long overlooked, contain invaluable insights into the individuals involved in botanical research and the historical framework in which they worked.

The book originates from the workshop "Space, Time, Plants and Paper" organized by the Leibniz Research Alliance "Value of the Past". The authors draw attention to the wealth of archival material available and advocate its greater inclusion in modern botanical studies.