• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • info@carolinebanks.co.uk
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Caroline Banks

  • About
  • Gallery
  • Workshops & Groups
  • Commissions
  • Blog
  • Contact

The Economic Botany Collection at Kew Gardens

16/12/2011

The Economic Botany Collection held at Kew Gardens began life in 1846 and now holds 85,000 specimens . It illustrates the extent of human use of plants around the world and, although closed to the public, some specimens are on display at the Plants + People exhibition in Kew Gardens. A future project is to put the full database online.

As part of a research visit I was privileged to view these “fossilised” roses excavated from a tomb in Hawara, ancient Egypt. It’s amazing to see organic matter from the 1st century BC. We spotted a perfectly preserved flower necklace from the tomb of Ramesses II from the same drawer as these roses. It’s remarkable that we can still see plants that are over 2,000 years old; when we buy flowers they rot within weeks.

The darkest colours in the photo above are roses. This variety is still commercially available, now known as Rosa Richardii or the Holy Rose of Abyssinia. Here is a photo from David Austin Roses so you can visualise how the bouquets would have looked when first made.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

3 + fourteen =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Follow me on social media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search my site

Find me on the following platforms

  • Saatchiart
  • Caiger Art
  • BobCat Gallery

Sign up for regular news updates and my monthly selection of art events

Copyright Caroline Banks © 2023 · Privacy Policy

  • About
  • Gallery
  • Workshops & Groups
  • Commissions
  • Blog
  • Contact