Pressed Plants
Making a Herbarium
Linda P.J. Lipsen’s Pressed Plants is a hobbyist’s botany book marked by deep wisdom.
The book gives plant lovers the information they need to collect, press, and organize their own plant specimens. The sequential chapters document each step in the process, from preparing to collect to mounting and preserving plants while detailing each part, from its roots to its fruit. They impart understanding of the importance of each element of the process, including when and where to collect specimens, in order to equip lay botanists with confidence and a renewed appreciation for nature.
While its focus is on pressing plants as a hobby, the book also emphasizes the need for this kind of work: professional botanists rely on others to collect plants, too, so that they can document, understand, and protect biodiversity. The book conveys the immediacy of the need for people to join in the effort to catalog the earth’s plants. As such, it is packed with accessible information, including checklists of the tools and supplies that hobbyists will need. There are insider tips and notes, too, as with an explanation for why a person should collect fruit and flowers from the same plants. There’s also thoughtful wisdom beyond the technical aspects of the process, as with the advice on how to be respectful of Indigenous people when collecting.
The beautiful and informative black-and-white illustrations augment the text with their sketched visualizations of plants and the preservation processes. And the warm, clear prose makes even the most delicate parts of collecting seem inviting: using this book, anyone can join in preserving plants. Indeed, Pressed Plants is an approachable botany book that fosters a knowledgeable love of plants.
Reviewed by
Melissa Wuske
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
