The city’s vast collection of precious herbarium sheets was collected by botanists and horticulturalists over the past 200 years, with many of the fragile plants gathered in parks and grassland in east Leeds.
Stored at the Leeds Discovery Centre, the plants are now set to be studied by people living and working in the same area where they once grew, connecting their communities and ecosystems through time.
Thanks to funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, the new Dead Plant Society project will see Leeds Museums and Galleries teaming up with arts and social change charity Space2 to search through the 250,000-strong collection.
Together, they will find also new specimens in the field which will be added to the museum collection, discover stories about their community and chart how nature and biodiversity in Leeds have changed across the past two hundred years.
And by comparing modern specimens with those collected in the past, experts hope they will even be able to measure changing levels of pollution and air quality in east Leeds over the centuries.
Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of natural sciences, said: “Our herbarium collection is not only a remarkably beautiful resource, it’s also a hugely important and detailed record of how plant life and the natural world in Leeds have evolved over the past 200 years.
“Connecting this amazing collection with people living in the places where these beautiful plants once grew will enable them to connect with their local history, including discovering the different ways people in east Leeds may have used these plants in the past for everything from food to medicine.
“It will also help us build a better understanding of important issues like climate change and local biodiversity and how they have affected the city. We’re extremely grateful to the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund for their support in helping us bring this wonderful project to life.”
Used as a way of preserving plants and flowers for more than 600 years, the tradition of making herbarium sheets began in Italy in the 15th century.
Plants are collected in the field before being arranged and spread flat between sheets, known as flimsies before being dried between blotters or absorbent paper. If properly conserved, herbarium sheets can last for hundreds of years.
An award-winning arts and social change organisation, based in Gipton, Space2 aim promote social justice and sustainable futures through an innovative community arts programme.
Paul Barker, Space2’s co-director, said: “There is a huge amount of pride and passion in our communities for the green spaces across East Leeds, as well as concern about climate change and biodiversity loss. We’re really excited about the mix of history, environmental awareness and creativity which this project will realise.”
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said: “The Leeds Museums and Galleries collection is filled with countless beautiful and fascinating elements of the city’s history, collected and preserved over hundreds of years.
“It’s wonderful that we’re able to share this collection with the people and communities who have played their own part in the city’s story and bring past and present together to add a whole new chapter to the city’s story.”
