Botany

The Ancient Assyrians, Chinese and Egyptians all established botanical gardens in which they grew various plants and herbs for medical purposes.

The noted Greek philosopher and scientist Theophrastus (372-287 BC) is sometimes called the "Father of Botany." He wrote two books, On Odors and An Enquiry into Plants that summarized the knowledge of his time concerning spices and herbs. In the latter Theophrastus made the important fundamental observation that the flower must always precede the fruit, that is, that a fruit is the product of a flower.

Elizabethan botanist John Gerard (1545-1612), penned in 1598 The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes. The 1,484 page book is described as the largest single-volume work on plants that has been published in English.

Claude Aubriet is thought to have been the first artist to accompany a botanical expedition travelling to the Middle East in 1700. There he made drawings of historical sites and the region's flora.

A Malva, illustrations by Aubriet for Tournefort's Institutiones

One of the earliest of America's botanists was John Bartram (1699-1777).  He corresponded with the leading botanists and gardeners of Europe and exchanged seeds and plants with them. In 1728 Bartram he purchased land at Kingsessing, near Philadelphia, which he developed into the first botanical garden in the American colonies and where he conducted the first hybridization experiments in America.

The world's oldest extant botanical society is the 'Linnean Society of London', founded on March 28, 1738. It was originally named the 'Theophilo-Britannica Society', but was renamed in 1788 in honor of Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist and taxonomist who is considered the father of modern botany.

Jeanne Baret (July 27, 1740 – August 5, 1807) was an assistant botanist on Louis Antoine de Bougainville's expedition on the ships La Boudeuse and Étoile in 1766–1769 that explored the Southern Hemisphere. Baret is recognized as the first woman to have completed a voyage of circumnavigation of the globe. Because French naval regulations prohibited female crew members, she spent most of the voyage disguised as a young man, calling herself Jean Baret. She extensively collected and categorized plants during her travels. 

Charles Darwin was a gifted botanist who used his own gardens at Down to great effect. In the last two decades of his life he wrote five botanical books, describing a wide range of observational and experimental work. It included the role of insects on cross-fertilization and the adaptions of climbing plants such as ivy.

The tallest tree in the world is Hyperion, a coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) located in Redwood National Park in California, United States. It is an estimated 700-800 years old and stands 380.3 feet (115.92 meters) tall. 

The seeds of the castor bean plant contain a toxin called ricin, which is 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide. Just a few castor beans can kill an adult human. The castor bean plant is native to Africa, but it is now grown in many parts of the world.

The largest flower in the world is the Rafflesia arnoldii, also known as the corpse flower. It is found in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in Southeast Asia. The Rafflesia arnoldii can grow to be over 3 feet (1 meter) in diameter and weigh up to 15 pounds (7 kilograms). 

The raffia palm (Raphia) has the longest leaves in the plant kingdom. Its leaves can reach up to 65 feet (20 meters) in length and 3 meters (9.8 feet) in width. The leaves are pinnate, meaning that they are divided into many smaller leaflets. The leaflets are attached to a central rachis, which is the main stem of the leaf.

Gardenias are the most fragrant flowers in the world. The Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is a shrub with white, waxy flowers. It has a strong, sweet fragrance that can be smelled from a distance.

The fastest growing plant in the world is bamboo; It can grow up to 3 feet per day (100 cms), and some species have been recorded to grow up to 91 centimeters (35 inches) in a single day. Bamboo is a grass, and it grows so quickly because it has a unique vascular system that allows it to transport water and nutrients very efficiently..

Scientists believe that the oldest plants, algae have existed on Earth for at least 2.7 billion years. This is based on the discovery of fossilized cyanobacteria, which are a type of algae, in rocks that are that old.

Ginkgo biloba are the oldest species of plants growing in soil. They grew on Earth millions of years ago and remembers the era of dinosaurs.

Pitcher plants are one of the most dangerous plants because they are carnivorous plants, meaning they eat meat. Pitcher plants have evolved to trap and digest insects and other small animals. They do this by using their modified leaves, which form pitchers that are filled with a liquid that contains digestive enzymes.

An average tree filters up to 40 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

As of October 2023, scientists have discovered approximately 391,000 species of vascular plants. This includes flowering plants, ferns, conifers, and other seed-bearing plants. The vast majority of undiscovered plant species are thought to be found in tropical rainforests

The sea has got more plant species than dry land.

Water only goes up the roots and stem, food and most nutrients travel both ways.

Sources Europress Encyclopedia,  Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc, Encarta Encyclopedia, Scienceray