[Science News] - Régine Fabri honoured with CBHL literature award for book on the Vasculum

Régine Fabri, former head librarian at Meise Botanic Garden, has been awarded the 2025 Annual Literature Award by the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL) for her book "The vasculum or botanical collecting box. Symbol of the nineteenth-century botanist, now an obsolete relic". Published by Meise Botanic Garden in 2024, this revised and expanded English edition (translated by Henry Noltie) is a richly illustrated and meticulously researched tribute to a now-forgotten object once central to botanical fieldwork.

“The vasculum, a metal container used for collecting plant specimens, was widely employed from the 18th to early 20th centuries”, said Régine Fabri. “My fascination began with a personal memory: my  grandmother collecting plants in a decorated tin box, which eventually passed into my  possession. That object became the seed of a decade-long exploration into the role and symbolism of the vasculum in botany and culture”.

Through over 300 illustrations and sources in multiple languages Fabri paints a comprehensive portrait of the vasculum’s evolution. The book includes photographs of Darwin’s own vasculum, boxes made for women and children, advertisements, postcards, caricatures, paintings, and field trip images. The vasculum emerges not just as a practical tool but as a symbol of an era when botany was a widespread pursuit and integral to leisure, science, and learning.

More than a history of an object, this volume is a heartfelt homage to centuries of botanical endeavour. It is a valuable reference for botanists, historians of science, collectors, and anyone interested in the socio-cultural legacy of plant exploration.

The book is available in French and English from our online Garden shop, and is also distributed by Magraf Publishers.