Botantical Collections – What's the Diff?

We throw around some botanical terms pretty freely here at Eden By The Bay—botanical garden, conservatory, arboretum, herbarium—but what is the difference really? The terms all convey a plant collection of some type, and we know generally what they mean. But let's take a closer look at the differences.

Entrance to the botanical garden at University of California, Berkeley

Type	Description
Botanical garden	A garden dedicated to the collection, cultivation and display of live plants labeled with their botanical names. They may be displayed in a variety of ways – aesthetically, thematically, or regionally. Botanical gardens are frequently open to the public, and may periodically sell plants from their collections. Early botanical gardens consisted of healing plants, but later expanded to all types of plants.
Conservatory	A greenhouse or structure in which plants are arranged for display or cultivation. The walls and ceiling are typically made of glass or similar material, and temperature and humidity can be controlled. A conservatory is ideal for tender plants that need protection, or require special environmental conditions.
Arboretum	A place or park where an extensive variety of trees, shrubs, and woody plants are cultivated for scientific, educational, and ornamental purposes. They are a specialized botanical garden.
Herbarium	A repository of dried, pressed plant specimens that are labeled and arranged for access and archival storage. The label includes useful information about the plant and its origin. The archival storage is typically climate controlled to ensure preservation. Physical access may be limited to students or scholars, but some herbarium collections are available online.

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I will probably continue to use the term “botanical garden” a bit loosely, but it is good to know the more precise term when necessary.
 

Transporting Plants

A challenge for botanists and plant collectors was getting plant specimens to their destinations. Most of the collectors we have studied so far, transported their collections by ship. Besides the ultimate threat of running aground or sinking, their were other challenges – ships were small and crowded; resources like fresh water were limited; and salt air and water could easily claim the specimens. How did these botanists transport their collections? Penelope Hobhouse sheds some light on the question in her book, The Story of Gardening.

• Seeds – this may have been the easiest way to transport plants, in their seed form. Seeds are small and compact, and contain everything needed to germinate the plant. They can be dried, and can last a long time. According to Hobhouse, seeds were sometimes coated in beeswax and wrapped in waxed cotton and paper, or bottled and packed in boxes of salt to keep them fresh and protected.

• Live plants – sometimes living plants were transported. Many containers were devised for the purpose, including woven baskets, and wooden crates. The plants required constant care on the journey to ensure their survival, and many plants died. In 1833, Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward developed miniature greenhouses for transporting live plants. These “Wardian cases” provided a sealed ecosystem for the plants during their voyage, and reduced loss.

Banksia serrata specimen collected from Botany Bay, Australia by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander
(the plastic bag is obviously modern)

• Dried specimens – botanists collected plant parts, including seeds, leaves, and stems. Each specimen was dried thoroughly, and then pressed between sheets of paper for preservation. Stacks of pressed specimens were clamped together between wood planks, to protect them from damp conditions on their way to the herbariums of Europe.

In these ways, plants traveled the world to new destinations for study, commerce, and enjoyment.