close up of green leafs on a brown steam

Plant Talk

History & People, Inside our Collections

History & People

Shades of Lavender: Symbolism, Scent, Sightings, and Species

Posted in History & People

In honor of Pride Month, The New York Botanical Garden celebrates lavender—the color symbolic of LGBTQ+ resistance and empowerment—as well as the plant’s associated cultural ... Read More

Inside our Collections

Flora de Filipinas

Posted in Inside our Collections

Flora de Filipinas is a monument to the magnificent botanical heritage of the Philippines. Read More

Inside our Collections, Plant Science

Cosmic Views of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt

Posted in Inside our Collections, Plant Science

Humboldt’s ideas were based on the view of the harmonic order of the Universe, a concept called cosmos, borrowed from ancient Greek philosophy. Read More

Inside our Collections

LuEsther T. Mertz Library Book of the Month: Chinoiserie Botany

Posted in Inside our Collections

Born in Metz, France, naturalist and artist Pierre Joseph Buc'hoz (1731–1807) become a doctor of medicine in Nancy in 1763. In his medical practice, he ... Read More

History & People

Librarians of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library: Elizabeth C. Hall

Posted in History & People

Elizabeth C. Hall (1898–1989) became Head Librarian of The New York Botanical Garden in 1937, following positions at The New York Public Library and Horticultural ... Read More

History & People

Librarians of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library: Anna Murray Vail

Posted in History & People

Anna Murray Vail (1863–1955) was an American botanist and the first librarian of The New York Botanical Garden. Read More

History & People, Inside our Collections

From the Jungles in Java to Dutch Drawing Rooms: A Tribute to Two Remarkable Women

Posted in History & People, Inside our Collections

Impressive by its sheer size and bold coloring, Fleurs, fruits et feuillages choisis de l'ile de Java : peints d'après nature was brought to fruition ... Read More

Inside our Collections

The Librarian’s Nightmare

Posted in Inside our Collections

In addition to its vast size, the fame of Orchidaceae rests on its extraordinary hand-colored lithographic plates which depict each orchid at life-size and in ... Read More

History & People, Inside our Collections

Restored Watercolors Return to Garden Archives

Posted in History & People, Inside our Collections

The Lord & Burnham Company was the premier builder of glasshouse structures in North America during the 19th and 20th centuries. The firm’s largest project ... Read More

Follow @NYBG