Botany in art and literature

Plants play various roles in art and literature. They can be mere ornament and background, they can be key actors, they can be metaphoric impressions.

To know the plant species that are depicted often is a key to get a different or broader view for interpretations. Depiction may be very detailed and allow for an exact identification down to species level, while there are, however, also various ways towards increasing imprecision, abstraction, fantastic motives.

Botanical aspects can, thus, be integrated in the interpretation, deduced from history and cultural history; from the use as food, medicinal, and poisonous plants; from the etymology of species names; from questions of species and habitat protection; and many more.