HERBALS AND HERBARIA IN THE DIGITAL AGE

HERBALS AND HERBARIA IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Herbals and herbaria have not lost their significance even in the current information society that is characterised by immediate access to digital data. They are still widely used in research, teaching, and in practical applications related to healing and home remedies.

The process of identification, collection, and further treatment of plant specimens helps for instance secondary school students to better understand the morphology, anatomy, and physiology of plants. But the creation of herbaria is not limited to the school environment. In the context of life-long education, they are useful to anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of biodiversity and natural riches.

The digital age brought into the process of creation of herbaria also some advanced technological instruments. For instance, the Spanish-made mobile application The New Herbarium reinterprets the visual style of historical herbals and applies it to a modern user interface.

Important projects in the Czech Lands include the Herbaria manuscripta project of the Masaryk University in Brno: researchers created as part of this project a database which records all known medieval Latin and old Czech herbals and herbaria which are kept in Czech memory institutions. The site also contains links to herbals and herbaria which have been digitised, thus substantively aiding future researchers. Another important herbal database, the HERBMAN, was created by the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The international databased Index Herbariorum lists 56 herbaria from the Czech Republic, most of which are kept in various museums.