Plant Letters

Now on its second phase on Zooniverse, the main purpose of this project is to track plant species, locations and scientists in the correspondence generated by the activity of the Botanic Garden of the University of Coimbra between the 19th and 20th centuries. For many centuries the exchange of letters was the privileged means of circulating information and knowledge. The Life Sciences Department of the University of Coimbra safeguards almost 5000 letters addressed to the directors, gardeners and other collaborators of the Botanic Garden pertaining to the study of plant diversity in Portugal and abroad, especially in Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mozambique and Guinea Bissau.

We thus rely on your generosity and knowledge in helping us transcribe handwritten letters received by the Botanic Garden between from ca. 1870 and 1928, from more than 1100 correspondents from around the world!

Please check the transcription data resulting from the first batch of letters here: cartasdanatureza.uc.pt/

Plant Letters is a project of the UNESCO Chair in Biodiversity Safeguard for Sustainable Development of the University of Coimbra in collaboration with the Department of Life Sciences, the Botanic Garden and the Centre for Functional Ecology of the University of Coimbra.