|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Economic Botany
The former Centre for Economic Botany (CEB) is now part of Kew's Sustainable Uses of Plants group, headed by Professor Monique Simmonds. It concentrates on the uses of plants in the United Kingdom and the world's arid and semi-arid zones. The Centre is also responsible for curation of the Economic Botany Collection, which contains more than 79,000 botanical raw materials and ethnographic artefacts. This webpage only covers the work of the former CEB group.
About Us | Research and Services | Collections, Data & publications | Education
News
See also Economic Botany Collection news
Past event: The Social Life of Plants - 20 displays, 40 volunteers, 600 visitors
Displays
To mark the International Year of Natural Fibres
- Nineteenth century ethnographic textiles and fibres from the Economic Botany Collection (with students from the Textile Conservation Centre)
- Two displays of baskets and basketmaking with leading makers Christine Brewster and Mary Butcher.
Also:
- Garden Africa GardenAfrica is a UK based charity whose work is focused in Southern Africa. With local partners, it establishes productive organic training gardens in schools, hospitals and clinics, growing nutritious food and medicinal plants.
- Ethnobotany of the baobab tree The baobab tree is one of the great multipurpose trees of Africa. Christine Buchmann (Vienna) will present her fieldwork on its uses and management.
- The argan tree of Morocco. Rachel Kaleta (University of Kent) will explore the use of this Moroccan nut, now well known in Europe for its taste and cosmetic properties.
- Plant Cultures Kew worked with British Asian communities to document the history and living traditions of 25 plants.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine With Christine Leon, Kew specialist in the botany and authentication of Chinese herbal remedies
- Insects and plants - Alison Scott Brown will present Kew's work.
- British Medicinal Plants project. Investigating the properties and uses of medicinal plants at Kew.
- Ethnomedica Recording traditional use of medicinal plants in the British Isles.
- British home gardens Simon Platten (Kent) is investigating seed exchange at allotments. Are such gardens sheltering important biodiversity?
- Use of Camomille -Ethnomedicine project from Basque Payes Rocio Alarcon
- Participatory Forest mapping project on Cameroon Jerome Lewis
- Wild food (Sussex foragers) Gordon Hillman & Anna Richardson
- University of Kent - Centre for Biocultural Diversity (CBCD) & Ethnobotany M.Sc. programme
- Resources stall, including details of the Society for Economic Botany.
Some pictures of the event by Emma Cooper http://coopette.com
Top: Gordon Hillman; wild foods. Bottom: Simon Platten's beans; display in upper atrium
SPECIAL OFFER
The CD-ROM: Poisonous Plants and Fungi in Britain
and Ireland is currently (summer 2008) available for £15.99 (reduced from £44.95), from Kewbooks only.
New reading list added to Further Reading page Kew, economic botany and empire
Other seminars of ethnobotany interest in the London area can be found at the Linnean Society, Royal Society, Departments of Anthropology at UCL, LSE and Goldsmiths (see also the RAI); Geography at UCL, KCL and Holloway; History of Medicine and Science at UCL, Imperial, the Wellcome Collection, Society of Apothecaries and IHR; Biology at UCL (CEE); Archaeology at UCL.
About Us
Research and Services
Collections, Data and Publications