Medicinal plants from Rio's Botanical Garden gain visual catalog

The Thematic Collection of Medicinal Plants at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden has published its first catalog containing photographs of the flowering of 68 species belonging to 32 botanical families. The images were produced at the Collection itself between 2020 and 2023. 

Produced in partnership with the RB Herbarium, the catalog is organized in alphabetical order of the popular names in Portuguese, with their English translations, and also contains information on the scientific names, botanical families and plant origin data (native to Brazil, naturalized, cultivated or exotic).

The material was produced by Luisa Ridolph Tostes Braga and Camila Dantas, under the supervision of ethnobotany researcher and curator of the Thematic Collection of Medicinal Plants at JBRJ Viviane Stern da Fonseca-Kruel. The information for the catalog was obtained from consultations on the online platforms Flora e Funga do Brasil and Plants of the World Online (POWO).

Created in 1976, the JBRJ Medicinal Plants Collection has around 170 species - either native to Brazil or exotic - most of which are herbs and shrubs. It is an educational collection that aims to raise public awareness of the importance of knowing and preserving medicinal plants.

Copies are available at the Botanical Garden Friends Association store for R$15.00, and will also be distributed at events in the Collection, such as talks, lectures and scheduled visits by groups of students and teachers. The initial print run is 1,200 copies.