The Vasculum or Botanical Collecting Box Symbol of the Nineteenth-Century Botanist, Now an Obsolete Relic

About this book

Language: English

Known as a botanical box, collecting box, or vasculum, this green or black tin box has accompanied generations of botanists and plant hunters for more than two centuries. It has housed myriads of specimens, some of which are still the pride of our great herbariums. A scientific device born in Europe at the dawn of the 18th century and recommended by Linnaeus, the vasculum quickly conquered the world. The boxes of the great names in botany that have been preserved to this day and the many portraits show the diversity of the models used.

An intriguing, even disturbing, piece of scientific equipment, the vasculum sometimes earned its owner suspicion of potato theft, poaching or smuggling, and even imprisonment. The herbarium box went on to appeal to a wide audience and became almost commonplace, as evidenced by the many illustrations and references to it in literature, notably by Jules Verne, Conan Doyle and Enid Blyton.

The green box also features prominently in the work of artists such as Carl Spitzweg and Raphaël Ritz. This volume, richly illustrated with photos, images and quotations, traces the history of this obsolete accessory – now exhibited in museums and much sought-after by collectors – from its strange origins to its obsolescence, via its hours of glory.

This English edition is a revised and enlarged version of the French edition (2021).

Customer Reviews