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The beginnings of plant ecology in the Renaissance: - collection of watercolours LIBRI PICTURATI (A18-30)

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Zemanek A., Zemanek B., Ubrizsy S. A.

Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki

2005

vol. 50

issue 3-4

87-122

During the Renaissance ecological thinking emerged both in printed scientific works as well as in pictures showing plants against the background of their natural environment. A unique source to the history of plant ecology is the 'Libri picturati' (A18-30) collection of watercolours kept at the Jagiellonian Library in Cracow (Poland). This collection consists of 13 volumes of plant pictures, and contains c.1800 specimens (over 1000 taxa) coming mainly from north-western Europe, Mediterranean region, and also from Asia and America. Some of these pictures match with woodcuts in various works by the famous Flemish botanists, mainly Charles de L'Écluse (Carolus Clusius) (1526-1609). Both illustrations of plants and their short annotations provide a synthetic review of 'the ecology of the Renaissance period'. The paper deals with ecological issues which could be found in the collection, such as: information on the climatic and edaphic requirements of some species, and on plants occurring in various habitats (such as aquatic and bog plants; plants of banks of inland water courses and wet meadows; halophytes occurring along sea coasts; plants of forests, meadows, edges of forests; plants of mountains; and anthropogenic plants - ruderal and segetal). For many species, information is given about them being cultivated in gardens and fields, and on some requirements of cultivation. In addition, phenological data is provided, mainly about flowering periods including the flowering of alien species acclimatized in north-western Europe. Many facts presented in the collection are probably the first accounts ever in the world, e.g. the information on halophyte communities of sea coasts, including illustrations of species and description of habitats which were described in terms of plant sociology only in the 20th century. Also provided are correct assessments of the way of life of parasitic flowering plants. The level of ecological knowledge contained in pictures and descriptions of the 'Libri picturati', when assessed against the background of recent knowledge of the topic, must be regarded as very high. In the collection, one must note a striking absence of superstitions and magic, so often presented in the Renaissance treatises on plants (even the beliefs in magic attached to 'the rose of Jericho' - 'Anastatica hierochuntica', are discarded as untrue by applying 'an experimental test'). The vast array of ecological issues contained in the collection, illustrates well the process of the emergence of modern knowledge about the relationships between plants and the environment. It seems that such a high level of knowledge resulted not only from the theoretical research interest of the creators of the collection, but also from the searches in the field aimed at finding new cultivated plants.

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1 Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki

1 Ubrizsy S. A.

1 Zemanek A.

1 Zemanek B.

1 2005

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The beginnings of plant ecology in the Renaissance: - collection of watercolours LIBRI PICTURATI (A18-30)