Western Botanical Gardens: History and Evolution
5 Western Botanical Gardens: History and Evolution Donald A. Rakow Section of Horticulture School of Integrative Plant Science Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ithaca, NY USA Sharon A. Lee Sharon Lee and Associates Swarthmore, PA USA ABSTRACT Dedicated to promoting an understanding of plants and their importance, the modern Western botanical garden addresses this mission through the establish- ment of educational programs, display and interpretation of collections, and research initiatives. The basic design and roles of the contemporary institution, however, can be traced to ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece, and Rome, where important elements emerged that would evolve over the centuries: the garden as walled and protected sanctuary, the garden as an organized space, and plants as agents of healing. In the Middle Ages, those concepts expanded to become the hortus conclusus, the walled monastery gardens where medicinal plants were grown. With intellectual curiosity at its zenith in the Renaissance, plants became subjects to be studied and shared. In the 16th and 17th centuries, botanical gardens in western Europe were teaching laboratories for university students studying medicine, botany, and what is now termed pharmacology. The need to teach students how to distinguish between medicinally active plants and poisonous plants led the first professor of botany in Europe, Francesco Bonafede, to propose the creation of the Orto botanico in Padua. Its initial curator was among the first to take plant collecting trips throughout Europe. Not to be Horticultural Reviews, Volume 43, First Edition. Edited by Jules Janick. 2015 Wiley-Blackwell. Published 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 269 270 D.
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