Dr. Hildebrandt

CODE 122

Reflection #2

January 5th, 2024,

The Gardens- Plant Specimens

During the previous week, my cohort and I had the opportunity to visit the gardens, where we explored the archives housing a collection of aged plant specimens that were carefully gathered throughout the early and late 19th century. Going into this, we had a little knowledge of the plant’s specimens but not a whole lot. This trip did, however, contribute to better our knowledge on plant extraction and what things were kind of missing in the older plant specimens that we were looking at.

In the specific plant specimens, we were looking at they all had one kind of common feature; that feature is the that they were very vague and not very descriptive on where it was extracted from and really the natives’ people’s use of that plant. Though the newer specimens did have more information on them, they still did not know a whole lot.  Even though we are now in the 21st century you can still see a lot of bias coming from botanists from back in the day. Because in the 19th century the only botanist there was, was rich in power white men, so obviously some were named after those botanists and colonists, like Carl Linnaeus, and with the information read about last week we know that names have deep meanings and affect people in different ways because the past has shaped our present. Despite the apparent quietness and stillness, the voices of those whose native plants were extracted resonate very loudly, highlighting the deep impact of their displacement.

In essence, their silence speaks volumes, resonating with profound significance. Another standout issue of the plant specimens and the herbarium is that it is not getting the funding it needs to make the changes it needs. Though it’s possible that the changes that are required to be made might cut the stakeholders in half because of what we have to say. Given the inherent complexity of our examinations, we find ourselves still in pursuit of answers and the resolution of mysteries. Though, I am inclined to believe that our current direction indicates progress and alignment with the path towards resolution.