: Hanes Naturiol

Mae’n fis Mehefin ac rydym wedi dewis silicon i fod yn elfen y mis. Efallai na fyddai rhywun yn meddwl yn syth bod i silicon arwyddocâd arbennig i Gymru, ond mae iddo hanes diddorol.

Mae silicon (symbol cemegol – Si, rhif atomig – 14) yn solid crisialog caled ond brau, sydd â sglein metalig llwydlas. Silicon yw’r elfen fwyaf cyffredin ond un (tua 28% o ran màs) yng nghramen y Ddaear. Ocsigen yw’r elfen fwyaf cyffredin ac mae i’r ddwy elfen affinedd cryf. O ganlyniad i hynny, cymerodd tan 1823 i wyddonydd – Jöns Jakob Berzelius – baratoi silicon yn ei ffurf bur.

Yng Nghymru, mae silicon i’w gael ym mhobman bron ar ryw ffurf neu’i gilydd: o gwarts (silicon deuocsid, SiO₂) mewn tywodfeini, amryfeini a cherrig silt gwaddodol; i silicadau cymhlyg mewn creigiau igneaidd a metamorffig; a gwaddodion mewn priddoedd.

Bu silica (silicon deuocsid, neu gwarts) yn cael ei gloddio’n helaeth yn ardal Pontneddfechan, de Powys, o ddiwdd y 18^fed ganrif tan 1964 a’i ddefnyddio i wneud brics tân ar gyfer odynau a ffwrneisi. Mae’n digwydd ar ffurf deunydd pur iawn o ddwysedd uchel mewn cwartsit mewn uned ddaearegol o’r enw Grutfaen Gwaelodol neu Dywodfaen Twrch. Wrth i’r cwartsid gael ei hindreulio a’i erydu, gadawyd dyddodion o dywod silica a gafodd ei gloddio'n helaeth i wneud brics tân gwrthsafol ar gyfer y diwydiannau mwyndoddi.

Yn y gogledd, bu masnach weddol ddi-nod mewn creigrisial – math di-liw, tryloyw o grisial cwarts – yn Eryri yn ystod y 18^fed ganrif a’r 19^eg ganrif wedi’i chanoli o gwmpas pentref Beddgelert. Mae T. H. Parry-Williams yn cyfeirio at hyn yn un o’i Ysgrifau.  Roedd mwynwyr a thywyswyr mynydd yn chwilota am wythiennau cwarts yn y mynyddoedd ac yn casglu crisialau i’w gwerthu i dwristiaid. Mae’n bosib bod rhai wedi'u defnyddio i wneud canwyllyrau crisial. Yn ddiweddarach, câi crisialau eu canfod yn achlysurol yn y chwareli llechi enfawr neu wrth fynd ati ar raddfa fawr i greu lonydd ar dir fforestri yn yr 1960au.

Mae silicon, ar ffurf silica (enw arall am silicon deuocsid) yn bwysig i rai organebau hefyd, yn enwedig ddiatomau a sbyngau.

Algâu microscopig ungellog sydd â chellfur cymhlyg wedi'i wneud o silica yw diatomau. Maent i’w cael yn helaeth ym mhob math o ddŵr, maent yn cynhyrchu ocsigen a chânt eu bwyta gan organebau eraill yn y dŵr. Yn aml, defnyddir diatomau i fonitro ansawdd dŵr.

Mae sbyngau’n adeiladu eu sgerbydau o fframwaith o elfennau bychan, bach o’r enw sbigylau. Yn y rhan fwyaf o grwpiau o sbyngau, gwneir y rhain o silica.  Ymhlith yr enghreifftiau harddaf mae sbwng gwydraidd Cawell Gwener, sy’n byw wedi’i angori wrth wely’r dyfnfor ger y Philipinau.  Mae pâr o berdys yn byw y tu mewn i’r sbwng, gan baru y tu mewn a threulio’u holl fywyd wedi’u gwarchod oddi mewn i’r waliau gwydraidd cain.  Diolch i’r berthynas symbiotig anghyffredin hon, mae sgerbydau marw Cewyll Gwener yn anrheg briodas boblogaidd yn Japan.

Sbyngau yw’r math mwyaf cyntefig o anifail ar y Ddaear, ac mae eu sbigylau gwydn yn ymddangos fel ffosilau yn dyddio o hyd at 580 miliwn o flynyddoedd yn ôl. Yn ogystal, mae silica’n chwarae rhan bwysig yn gwarchod mathau eraill o ffosilau.  Pan gleddir anifeiliaid neu blanhigion marw, gall silica o ddŵr daear lenwi’r mandyllau a mannau gweigion eraill mewn pren, esgyrn neu gregyn, a/neu gall gymryd lle’r deunyddiau gwreiddiol wrth iddynt bydru neu hydoddi.   Mae hyn yn digwydd amlaf mewn ardaloedd lle mae llawer o silica yn y dŵr daear, oherwydd gweithgaredd folcanig neu am fod creigiau ac ynddynt lawer o silica wedi erydu.   Mae’r olion organig yn ganolbwynt ar gyfer ffurfio deunyddiau silica, ac yn aml mae’r graig sydd o gwmpas y ffosilau wedi’i gwneud o fwynau gwahanol.  Er enghraifft, wrth i gregyn a wnaed yn wreiddiol o galsiwm carbonad hydoddi, gall silica gymryd lle’r calsiwm carbonad, a chânt eu ffosileiddio mewn calchfaen (calsiwm carbonad).  Mae’n hawdd tynnu’r ffosilau trwy roi’r graig mewn asid a disgwyl iddi hydoddi, gan adael y ffosilau a siliceiddiwyd ar ôl.  Yng nghasgliadau ffosilau’r Amgueddfa, ceir llawer o gregyn wedi’u siliceiddio – braciopodau, amonitau, bryosoaid a chreaduriaid morol eraill.

Un o’r mathau mwyaf trawiadol o ffosil a siliceiddiwyd yw ‘pren petraidd’.  Daeth silica i gymryd lle celloedd gwreiddiol y pren wrth iddo bydru ac i lenwi unrhyw fylchau, gan ei ‘droi’n garreg’ yn llythrennol.  Mewn rhai mannau, yn cynnwys Patagonia a'r Unol Daleithiau, gwelir bonion coed cyfan lle disodlwyd y pren gan silica yn yr hyn a elwir yn ‘fforestydd petraidd’.  Ceir planhigion eraill, fel conau, wedi’u ffosileiddio fel hyn hefyd.

Craig a wneir o grisialau bach iawn o silica yw cornfaen neu siert.  Ffurfiwyd llawer o ddyddodion cornfaen mawr ar waelod cefnforoedd hynafol o ‘forlaid silicaidd’, a wnaed o sgerbydau miliynau o organebau bach iawn yn cynnwys diatomau a rheiddiolion (plancton ungellog).  Gall cnepynnau cornfaen ffurfio oddi mewn i greigiau eraill hefyd trwy brosesau cemegol.   

Gelwir cornfaen sydd mewn sialc yn fflint, a bu’n ddeunydd pwysig iawn ar gyfer gwneud tŵls yn y cyfnod Cynhanesyddol. Gwneir y tŵls trwy naddu’r fflint, hynny yw trwy daro ymyl y fflint sydd wedi’i baratoi, neu lwyfan taro, â charreg galetach er mwyn rhyddhau darnau o’r enw naddion neu lafnau.  Yna, gellir addasu’r naddion neu’r llafnau hyn ac, yn wir, y craidd y cânt eu taro ohono a’u gwneud yn dŵls cywrain. Ymhlith y rhai mwyaf cywrain mae pennau saethau main, yn cynnwys y rhain o fedd o’r Oes Efydd yn Breach Farm, Bro Morgannwg. Gan amlaf, fflint oedd y dewis cyntaf ar gyfer gwneud offer torri miniog am fod ei raen mor fân a’i fod yn hollti’n gregynnaidd ac yn lân i roi ymyl dorri finiog iawn. Yn wir, i’r fath raddau nes bod straeon am lawfeddygon y llygad yn defnyddio llafn fflint newydd ei dorri i drin llygaid cleifion weithiau!

Gan fod graen mân iawn i gornfaen a’i fod yn galed iawn, gall ddal ffosilau o bethau bach iawn o gyfnod pell iawn yn ôl yn hanes ein planed.  Credir mai mewn cornfeini y ceir y ffosilau hynaf ar y Ddaear, ac maent yn cynnwys olion posibl bacteria dros 3 biliwn o flynyddoedd oed.  Mae ffosilau iau, o Gornfaen Rhynie o ogledd yr Alban, yn rhoi cipolwg i ni ar un o’r cymunedau cynharaf ar dir, 400 miliwn o flynyddoedd yn ôl.  Cadwyd manylion cywrain planhigion ac anifeiliaid syml, yn cynnwys creaduriaid cyntefig tebyg i gorynnod, a sgorpionau, diolch i ddŵr llawn silica o ffynhonnau folcanig poeth.

Math hydradol o silica yw opal, sy’n golygu ei fod yn cynnwys rhwng 3 a 21% o ddŵr.  Yn wahanol i silica arferol, nid oes iddo ffurf crisialog penodol, ond mae rhai o’i ffurfiau’n diffreithio goleuni, gan greu effaith symudliw hardd mewn nifer o wahanol liwiau.  Am y rheswm hwn, mae opal wedi’i werthfawrogi ers canrifoedd fel gem ar gyfer gwneud tlysau crog, modrwyau a mathau eraill o emwaith.  O Awstralia y daw llawer o opal y byd, ac fe geir yno ffosilau prin ac ysblennydd wedi’u hopaleiddio hefyd.  Daeth opal i gymryd lle cregyn infertebratau fel belemnitau (creaduriaid cynhanesyddol tebyg i fôr-lewys [squid]), a hyd yn oed esgyrn deinosoriaid, gan greu sbesimenau lliwgar iawn mewn byd lle mai llwyd neu frown yw ffosilau gan amlaf.

Within Amgueddfa Cymru’s botany collections are books of dried plant specimens created by scientists and enthusiasts. Each specimen has been carefully dried and pressed, before being added to the books, sometimes with handwritten or printed notes alongside. The books are of enormous importance both in terms of modern scientific research into climate change and biodiversity, and as a way to see first hand the history of botanical exploration.

You can now look through a catalogue of the 36 books that contain non-flowering plants, fungi, lichens and seaweeds. You can read about a few of the stories surrounding these books below. For more detailed information about each book, please visit the website.

These books show the changes in how we collect, classify and name plants over two centuries from 1800 to present day. An old volume which probably dates from the 19^th century entitled “New Zealand Mosses”, contains more than just mosses. Lichens, algae and even some pressed hydrozoans (tiny marine animals) have been included by the unknown collector who chose to group these superficially similar ‘moss-like’ specimens together. This donation entered the Museum’s collections after its Royal Charter was received and before work had begun on the present Cathays Park building.

While the earliest currently known non-flowering plant specimen in the Museum is a moss collected in 1794 from Gwynedd, the earliest specimen book dates from 1803. This book is Lewis Weston Dillwyn’s personal collection of seaweed and freshwater algae collected between 1803 and 1809. Dillwyn’s specimen book was donated to the Museum in 1938 by the National Library of Wales, and has great importance both scientifically and historically.

Lewis Weston was part of the influential Dillwyn family, and his son John Dillwyn Llewelyn became an early pioneer photographer. He was interested in the natural history that he saw in south Wales where he lived. This is reflected in his scientific research as well as in the pottery designs created while he was owner of Cambrian Pottery. Dillwyn described new species of algae and his specimen book contains type specimens (irreplaceable specimens used in the original description of a species). The book is a personal record of his scientific life, recording places he visited and scientists who sent him specimens. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1804 and later had a plant genus named after him in recognition of his work.

Many of the botanical specimen books in National Museum Cardiff have a fascinating history. Two contain mosses collected by Thomas Drummond on the Second Overland Arctic expedition between 1825 and 1827 to British North America (now Canada). Delving further into the book’s background reveals that the Captain, Sir John Franklin, sent Drummond to the Rocky Mountains with one Native American hunter. After the hunter left him on his own, he survived a severe winter, being mauled by a bear, and starvation. He still managed to collect, preserve and study many new plants of the North American continent. This work was published by Sir W.J. Hooker, who later became the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The more recent books are systematically collected specimens known as ‘exsiccatae’. These are sets of duplicate specimens distributed by scientists to other museums. They help to spread the risk of losing a particularly important set of specimens, and to allow scientists around the world to study them. Lists of their contents are usually published in a journal or online. Much of the Berlin Herbarium and the botanical specimens within it was destroyed in World War 2, however many duplicate specimens from this collection survive in other herbaria around the world. From around the 1900s, exsiccatae changed from being bound books to being loose specimens. This meant museums receiving them could incorporate them into their collections alongside other closely related specimens for easier access and comparison.

Rydym yn parhau i nodi blwyddyn ryngwladol tabl cyfnodol yr elfennau cemegol ac, ar gyfer mis Ebrill, rydym wedi dewis calsiwm. Mae’r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn gwybod am galsiwm fel yr elfen sylfaenol er mwyn ffurfio esgyrn neu mewn calchfaen ond mae iddo lu o ddibenion eraill ac mae i'w gael ar wely'r môr ac mewn bywyd morol ddoe a heddiw.

Elfen fetelig o liw golau yw calsiwm (Ca) ac 20 yw ei rhif atomig. Mae’n hanfodol ar gyfer bywyd heddiw ac mae’n aml yn chwarae rhan bwysig yn cynnal planhigion ac anifeiliaid. Dim ond pedair elfen arall sy'n fwy cyffredin na chalsiwm yng nghramen y ddaear ac mae’n rhan o lawer o greigiau a mwynau fel calchfaen, aragonit, gypswm, dolomit, marmor a sialc.

Aragonit a calsit yw’r ddwy ffurf grisialog fwyaf cyffredin ar galsiwm carbonad ac fe gyfrannodd y ddwy at ffurfio’r ddwy filiwn o gregyn yn ein casgliad o folysgiaid. Craidd y casgliad hwn yw casgliad Melvill-Tomlin a gyfrannwyd i’r amgueddfa yn y 1950au. Dyma gasgliad rhyngwladol sy’n cynnwys llawer o sbesimenau prin, prydferth sy’n bwysig o safbwynt gwyddonol ac a ddefnyddir gan wyddonwyr o bedwar ban byd ar gyfer eu hymchwil. Caiff perlau, sydd hefyd wedi’u gwneud o aragonit a calsit, eu cynhyrchu gan gregyn deufalf fel wystrys, cregyn gleision dŵr croyw a hyd yn oed gregyn bylchog mawr. Ym myd natur, caiff perlau eu ffurfio wrth i’r molysgiaid ymateb i barasit ymwthiol neu ronyn o raean. Mae’r fantell o gwmpas corff meddal yr anifail yn gollwng calsiwm carbonad a conchiolin sy’n amgylchynu’r peth estron ac yn dynwared ei siâp ac felly nid yw pob un yn hollol grwn. Yn y diwydiant perlau, caiff pelenni bach iawn o gragen eu 'plannu’ yn yr wystrysen neu’r gragen las er mwyn sicrhau bod y berl a ffurfir yn hollol grwn.

Cyrff meddal sydd gan folysgiaid ac maent yn creu cregyn i fod yn darianau amddiffynnol iddynt. Mae hyn yn wir am anifeiliaid di-asgwrn-cefn eraill hefyd, yn enwedig yn y môr. Mae riffiau cwrel a thiwbiau rhai mwydod gwrychog (Serpulidae, Spirorbinae) yn dibynnu ar natur atgyfnerthol calsiwm carbonad i gynnal a gwarchod eu cyrff meddal. Mae gan gramenogion fel crancod a chimychiaid sgerbwd allanol caled sy’n cael ei atgyfnerthu â chalsiwm carbonad a chalsiwm ffosffad. O gastrolithau y daw’r calsiwm y mae ar gimychiaid, cimychiaid coch, cimychiaid afon a rhai crancod tir ei angen ar ôl bwrw’u cragen. (Weithiau, gelwir gastrolithau’n gerrig stumog neu'n llygaid crancod). Maent i’w cael ar y naill ochr a’r llall i’r stumog ac maent yn darparu calsiwm ar gyfer rhannau hanfodol o’r cwtigl fel darnau’r geg a’r coesau. Yng nghasgliad yr Amgueddfa, mae bron 750,000 o anifeiliad morol di-asgwrn-cefn, yn cynnwys cramenogion, cwrelau a mwydod gwrychog.

O fwynau calsiwm y gwnaed llawer o’r 700,000 o ffosilau sydd yng nghasgliadau’r Amgueddfa hefyd. Defnyddir dau brif fath o galsiwm carbonad i wneud cregyn a sgerbydau allanol anifeiliaid di-asgwrn-cefn, ac maent yn fwy tebygol o gael eu hanfarwoli fel ffosilau os defnyddir un ohonynt yn hytrach na’r llall. Mae aragonit, sydd yng nghregyn molysgiaid fel amonitau, gastropodau a chregyn deuglawr, yn ansefydlog ac nid yw’n para am filiynau o flynyddoedd gan amlaf. Wrth ffosileiddio, mae cregyn aragonit naill ai’n ymdoddi’n llwyr, neu mae’r aragonit yn ailgrisialu i ffurfio calsit. Defnyddiwyd calsit i wneud cregyn a sgerbydau grwpiau o gwrelau sydd wedi peidio â bod erbyn hyn, braciopodau cymalog, bryosoaid, ecinodermiaid a’r rhan fwyaf o drilobitau. Mae’n llawer mwy sefydlog nag aragonit ac felly mae darnau caled gwreiddiol o’r creaduriaid yn ymddangos fel ffosilau, filiynau o flynyddoedd ar ôl iddynt suddo i wely’r môr. Yn aml, gwelir grisialau mawr o galsit yn llenwi mannau gwag mewn ffosilau, fel y siambrau y tu mewn i gregyn amonitau. Mae fertebratau’n defnyddio mwyn calsiwm gwahanol i wneud esgyrn a dannedd: apatit (calsiwm ffosffad), a all bara am filiynau o flynyddoedd i wneud ffosilau eiconig fel sgerbydau deinosoriaid ac ysgithrau mamothiaid.

Yng nghasgliadau’r Amgueddfa o greigiau, mae llawer o galchfeini, creigiau a ffurfiwyd ar waelod y môr amser maith yn ôl o ddarnau o gregyn a deunydd arall sy’n cynnwys llawer o galsiwm carbonad. Ers miloedd o flynyddoedd, bu pobl yn defnyddio calchfeini i adeiladu: cerrig cerfiedig yn nhemlau eiconig y Groegiaid a’r Rhufeiniaid; darnau mâl i fod yn falast o dan reilffyrdd a ffyrdd; neu wedi’u llosgi i greu calch i wneud sment. Defnyddiwyd calchfaen enwog o Dorset o’r enw Carreg Portland i adeiladu Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd ac adeiladau eiconig eraill yng Nghanolfan Ddinesig Caerdydd. Ar lawr yr Amgueddfa gwelir teils marmor, sef calchfaen a drawsnewidiwyd o dan wres a gwasgedd mawr. Bu cerflunwyr yn hoff iawn o farmor ers dyddiau’r hen Roegiaid a’r Rhufeiniaid. Yng nghasgliadau celf yr Amgueddfa gwelir gweithiau marmor gan Auguste Rodin, John Gibson, Syr Francis Chantrey, Syr William Goscombe John a llawer o rai eraill. Yn ogystal, mae yno enghreifftiau pwysig o waith gan gerflunwyr o’r ugeinfed ganrif, fel Jacob Epstein, Eric Gill a Henri Gaudier-Breszka. Roedd yn well ganddyn nhw gerfio calchfaen feddalach a llai dwys, Carreg Portland a thywodfaen.

The Amgueddfa Cymru economic botany collection features 65 specimens of plant-based dyes and tannins. The collection includes a range of leaves, roots, petals, seeds and barks used for dyeing and tanning from around the world.

'Economic Botany' refers to a group of plants that have recognised societal benefit. The Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales economic botany collection contains over 5,500 plant-based specimens, together with 12,000 timber specimens. Categories within the collection include medicinal plants; food products; dyes and tannins; gums, resins and fibres; and seeds.

Most of the dye specimens were collected from Asia, South Africa and the West Indies as well as a few samples from South America. There is one specimen from the UK - Isatis tinctoria (Woad) from Roath Park Cardiff (1936). Most of the acquisitions of these specimens were made in 1914, 1920—22 and 1938. Only two of the specimens were added after 1938.

As well as leaves, petals, roots and fruits the collection contains a range of specimens of barks for dyeing, largely acquired in the 1920s.

Dye specimens

A number of the plant-based dye specimens originate from India including:

• The dried leaves of Indigofera tinctoria (Indigo) – one of the most famous plant dyes produces a range of blue tones.
• The roots of Rubia cordifolia (Indian madder) which produce a red dye.
• The roots of Morinda citrifolia (Al dye) which produce a yellowish colour.
• Myrobalans fruits (Terminalia chebula) which produce a yellow dye.
• The petals of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius).

Many of these plants indicate their potential as colouring agents in their botanical names. Carthamus derives from Arabic meaning ‘dye’ whilst tinctoria is a Latin word for dyeing or staining.

The collection also includes specimens from the Caribbean including Bixa orellana (Anatto seeds) from the Dominican Republic, Gold Coast, Trinidad and Tobago; and Bursera graveolens leaves from Colombia, both of which produce a red dye.

Some of these plants are used in combination to produce enhanced tones. For example, Myrobalans (Terminalia chebula) produce a buttery yellow on their own, if added to Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) produce a teal and with madder (Rubia cordifolia) they produce orange.

Tannins

Some barks are very high in tannin. Such barks are useful for the dyeing of cellulose fibres (such as cotton and silk). The collection features a range of barks used as tannins including:

• The powdered bark of Quercus tinctoria (North America 1921), known as Dyer’s oak.
• Haematoxylon campechianum (Log wood) (Central America and West Indies 1921) which produces a purple from the heartwood.
• Rhizophora mucronata (Mangrove) (India 1920) bark which produces a reddish brown with mordant.
• The bark of Ceriops candolleana (Tengah) (India 1920), used in Malaya within Batik dyeing for purple, brown and black colours.
• Cassia auriculata (Tanner’s Cassia) (India 1921).
• An extract of wood from Schinopsis balansae (Quebrachio) from Argentina.
• Acacia mollissima (Black Wattle) (South Africa) including bark, chopped bark, ground bark and solid mimosa extract (acquired from Kew in 1924).

The collection also includes a range of Libidibia coriaria (Divi divi) seed pods from the West Indies used for tanning and extract as dye (including specimens acquired from Kew in 1924).

Galls

The collection also contains a range of galls mainly from Southern Europe (used as tannin) mainly acquired in 1914. This includes Blue Aleppo Galls, Green Aleppo Galls, Morea galls (Greece), White Bussorah galls, Blue Smyrna galls. These oak marble galls are caused by gall wasps which puncture bark of Quercus species and lay eggs inside. As well as oak marble galls, Chinese Sumac (Rhus chinensis) are also used as tanning agents.

Galls are used in dyeing processes since they tend to be very high in tannin. Cellulose-based fabrics are often treated in a gall bath prior to adding mordant (a substance that fixes dye in fabric). This process is called ‘galling’. The fabric can then be mordanted with alum, as the tannin forms an insoluble compound with the alum and natural dye, resulting in more permanent colour.

Dyed wool specimens

The dyes and tannins collection also features a range of specimens of wool that were dyed with plants using wool from the Cambrian Mill, Felindre. This includes Weld (with tin mordant), Privet (with tin mordant), Brazil wood (with alum mordant), Onions (with tin mordant), Eucalyptus (with copper mordant), Indigo (no mordant), Madder (with tin mordant), Walnut (no mordant) alongside two red and blue cloth specimens (possibly Madder and Indigo).

Tin can produce very bright natural colours. However, in excess it can make wool brittle and it is also harmful, potentially causing irritation to skin, eyes and respiratory system and damage to the liver and kidney system. Of note are the two specimens (Walnut and Indigo) that are ‘substantive’ rather than ‘fugitive’. Substantive dyes do not require a mordant.  

In 2017-2018 Poppy Nicol worked with Heather Pardoe to explore the economic botany collection and its relevance for helping us understand biodiversity and the importance of plants for health and well-being. You can read more about the Sharing Stories Sharing Collections Project here.

Have a look back at previous posts about this collection:

• The Launch of the People and Plants Exhibition
• An Introduction to the Economic Botany Collection

This article is by Dr. Poppy Nicol, a visiting researcher from Cardiff University.

This week marks the launch of the exhibition ‘People and Plants’ in the Insight Gallery, National Museum Cardiff and accompanying public report ‘Sharing Stories, Sharing Collections.’

The exhibition and report are outcomes of a collaborative placement between the Sustainable Places Research Institute and Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales funded by the National Environment Research Council Valuing Nature Programme.

During the placement, Dr. Poppy Nicol (Sustainable Places Research Institute) spent four months within the Natural Science Department at National Museum Cardiff. Poppy worked with Principal Curator Dr. Heather Pardoe and other members of the Botany team to investigate the Amgueddfa Cymru economic botany collection and its potential role it can play in supporting, valuing and understanding of biodiversity. As part of the placement, Poppy and Heather conducted a series of workshops with community groups and interviews, with the aim of exploring how future activities associated with the economic botany collection can further societal understanding and valuing of biodiversity and address the Museum’s duty of well-being.  

Drawing upon the findings of the placement, the exhibition offers insight into the Amgueddfa Cymru economic botany collection and the important role of plants in society.  

Health, well-being and plants

The Amgueddfa Cymru economic botany collection includes over 5,500 specimens of medicinal plants, food products, fibres, seeds, gums, dyes and resins, most of which were acquired between the nineteenth century and present day. The selected specimens in the ‘People and Plants’ exhibition highlights the role of plants in supporting the health and well-being of past, present and future generations.

Plant-based Remedies: old and new

The economic botany collection contains over 700 medicinal plant specimens including a Materia Medica (donated by Professor Terence Turner, Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences). The exhibition features a range of plant specimens used medicinally – including quinine (used for treating malaria), star anise (containing a compound used for treating influenza) and senna pods (a traditional laxative).

It also features a contemporary example of a plant-based compound for medicinal purposes – the daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus). Although toxic if consumed raw, it contains galantamine which is used in the treatment of the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease.

Biocultural diversity: heritage grains

The exhibition also showcases some of the specimens within the Museum’s economic botany seed collection - which contains over 2,700 seed specimens. The collection includes a range of wheat, barley, oat and rye varieties acquired from the Welsh Plant Breeding Station. Hen Gymro, an old wheat variety affectionately known as “Old Man’s Beard” was cultivated in South Wales into the 1920’s, said to have thrived in South Wales. With predicted changing climates and the urgent need for more ecological growing approaches, perhaps some of these old grain varieties might be of value for future farmers and growers. The exhibition highlights the importance of safeguarding biodiversity – of both wild and cultivated crops and wild species.

Sharing Stories, Sharing Collections

The accompanying report to the exhibition, ‘Sharing Stories, Sharing Collections’ by Poppy, highlights how bio-cultural collections have the potential to support public understanding and valuing of biodiversity. It suggests recent legislation in the form of the Well Being of Future Generations Act (Wales) (2015) presents opportunity for Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales to become a global innovator in terms of curating bio-cultural collections.

The report identifies clear interest in the Amgueddfa Cymru economic botany collection amongst the public. It identifies a number of opportunities for innovation in bio-cultural and economic botany collections including research-driven curation; inter-generational learning programmes; and, innovative and participatory approaches to digitisation. Inter-disciplinary collaboration with other centres of learning particularly present great opportunities to share and enhance the value of the collection. Such innovations will improve the role of the collection in supporting public valuing and understanding of biodiversity and the health and well-being of future generations.

In an era where biodiversity is being eroded, bio-cultural collections have a crucial societal role of developing understanding and valuing of biodiversity through raising public awareness of the crucial role of plants in supporting livelihoods, supporting health and well-being, maintaining ecosystem services and adapting to global environmental change.

You can see the People & Plants exhibition at National Museum Cardiff until Sunday 17 March.

Read more about the start of the project in this February 2018 blog post.