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Laboratoires Botanique Avancée, a sponsor of the National Museum ofheritage

Written by EMA TAILLANDIER on May 29, 2026, updated on May 29, 2026

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Summary

The National Museumheritage : A Botanical Heritage Unique in the World

In the storage facilities of the National Museumheritage in Paris liesone of the world’s largest botanical collections. Millions of dried plants are preserved there with the utmost care. Collected over the past four centuries, they tellheritage of the discovery of the plant world and the passion of the botanists who explored it.

Mounted on large sheets of paper and accompanied by handwritten labels and scientific notes, these plants make up an exceptional herbarium. Each specimen
is a valuable record: the location where the plant was collected, the date, and the name of the botanist who studied it. These details continue to provide insights that help us better understand the evolution of the plant world.

Historical herbariums: an irreplaceable scientific heritage

Among these treasures is one of the oldest known French herbariums: that of Jehan Girault, compiled in 1558. Fragile and of inestimable historical value, it bears witness to the early days of modern botany, at a time when naturalists were already seeking to observe, classify, and understand the diversity of plants.

The museum also houses the collections of King Louis XIV’s botanist, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. A seasoned traveler and passionate observer, Tournefort explored the Mediterranean to study plants and lay the foundations for modern botanical classification. His herbarium is now a major scientific reference.

Why preserve historic seagrass beds?

Preserving these collections means preserving an irreplaceable record of life. But it also means ensuring that this knowledge continues to inform contemporary research.

Each preserved specimen is a valuable source of information for botanists, biologists, and researchers studying species evolution, environmental changes, andheritage .

Laboratoires Botanique Avancée's Philanthropy in Support of Scientific Knowledge

It is in this spirit that Laboratoires Botanique Avancée has partnered with the National Museumheritage . The brand is supporting an ambitious project: to restore and digitize the historic herbariums, in order to protect these botanical archives and make them accessible to researchers around the world.

This commitment is in line with the brand’s scientific approach: understanding plants, preserving knowledge, and promoting its transmission.

Digitizing herbariums: passing on botany to future generations

Digitization is fundamentally transforming access to these collections. It now allows botanists to view specimens remotely, identify plants of interest, and expand their research using these unique archives.

These herbariums thus serve as a valuable tool for better understanding species evolution, plant migration, the effects of climate change, and shifts in biodiversity over the centuries.

From the Museum to Domaine de Baulieu a shared passion for plants

For Laboratoires Botanique Avancée, this sponsorship is a natural extension of a broader vision: that of dynamic botanical research, rooted inheritage focused on the future.

At Domaine de Baulieu, in Provence, this passion for plants is part of a long tradition. It was in this region, rich in biodiversity andheritage , that the
botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort stayed before his great explorations. The idea of the Jardin des Simples, dedicated to medicinal plants, resonates particularly well here.

See our article on advanced botany, when science reveals the potential of plants

Preserving the past to inform the research of tomorrow

Supporting the preservation of the Museum’s herbariums means carrying on an exceptional scientific legacy: one of a constant curiosity about the plant world and a commitment to better understanding living organisms.

Because botany is not a science of the past.

It is a living legacy that connects the naturalists of the past with the researchers of today and tomorrow.

And it is this same passion for the intelligence of plants that Laboratoires Botanique Avancée continues to nurture and share.