Plant science

Although people have always relied on plants, the science of plants—known as botany—has been studied for only around 2,500 years. Early scientists described the medicinal properties of plants, while later researchers investigated them to learn how they survive and thrive.

Theophrastus, a student of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, is the first to study plants for their own sake. He writes the first botanical books, describing around 500 plants.

Arabian scientist Ibn al-Baytār writes the Compendium on Simple Medicaments and Foods, featuring the names of 1,400 plants, foods, drugs, and their uses.

Hydroponics, a method of growing plants in a nutrientfilled liquid rather than in the soil, is first described in the 1600s. This technique can produce more food in the same space and is a popular method of growing plants today.

Ibn al-Baytār was one of the most influential writers on botany in medieval times.

The garden exists today in its original location, in Padua, Italy.

Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides writes De Materia Medica, a book on medicinal plants, which is used for the next 1,500 years.

The world’s oldest botanical garden, the Orto Botanico di Padova, is built. The garden was used to grow medicinal plants and teach students about them.

The plant Cordia sebestena is named after German botanist Valerius Cordus. He describes plant features and medicinal properties for the first time in his book Historia Plantarum, published in 1561.

English naturalist Gilbert White describes the time of year that different plants bloom. Today, scientists use this information to study how climate change is affecting flowering times. Most plastics will not break down for thousands of years, but plant-based “bioplastics” have been developed that will break down into compost.

Every kernel on one ear of corn is unique and can look different from one another.

Austrian monk and scientist Gregor Mendel uses pea plants to explore how plants inherit their characteristics. Like humans, a plant gets half of its characteristics from the female plant and half from the male plant.

German botanist Matthias Jakob Schleiden publishes Contributions to Phytogenesis, in which he argues that all plants are made of tiny units called cells.

Plant cell

American scientist Barbara McClintock is awarded the Nobel Prize in 1983 for her research into the inheritance of corn (maize) traits and how this is controlled. This work has led to other important discoveries in the field of genetics.

Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus publishes Species Plantarum, which establishes the scientific naming system for plant organisms.

American scientist Norman Borlaug develops a disease-resistant, dwarf wheat variety, which helps feed billions. Before the 1950s, tall wheat plants often blew over before the top-heavy crops could be harvested.

The Svalbard Global Seed Bank is built in Norway in 2008. This building stores seeds from around the world in case they are needed in the future.

The book contains data on the 5,940 plants known at the time.