Missouri Botanical Garden program annouces collaboration with L'Herboretum

Sacred Seeds, an international non-profit that supports plant conservation and addresses the rapid loss of biodiversity and cultural knowledge, has extended its reach to Europe through collaboration with L'Herboretum whose international headquarters are in Saint-Ay, France. Sacred Seeds is a network of plant gardens devoted to preserving plants of medicinal and cultural significance. The program is administered by the Missouri Botanical Garden's William L. Brown Center.

Sacred Seeds also works to foster the traditional uses and knowledge of these treasured plant species, honoring their sacred roles in indigenous communities. Currently, the program connects 28 gardens in 13 countries on six continents.

"L'Herboretum is one of the leading forces in international plant conservation, and its garden in Saint-Ay is a treasure of French ethnobotany, said Thomas Newmark, founder of Sacred Seeds. "L'Herboretum is the first European partner in the Sacred Seeds network, and we are thrilled to be collaborating with the visionary leaders of this great association."

Ashley Glenn is a research specialist at the William L. Brown Center in St. Louis.

"The staff at L'Herboretum clearly has a passion for ethnobotanical knowledge on both a local and global level. They make an ideal European hub for sharing the need to preserve threatened knowledge and plants, and for celebrating the innovation and dedication of conservationists around the world," said Glenn.

L'Herboretum, through The Herboretum Network of gardens, is the leading botanical association in France and is dedicated to conserving medicinal, cosmetic and sacred plants. It maintains a 22-acre garden on the heart of the Loire Valley and is an historic landmark. Leading scholars and business leaders have joined in The Herboretum Association, and it enjoys the patronage of The Alban Muller Group, a leading specialist in natural extracts in France. Alban Muller, President of The Alban Muller Group, expressed his enthusiastic support for the collaboration with Sacred Seeds. "Sacred Seeds has an exceptional international network of Sacred Seeds Sanctuaries, and together with L'Herboretum's network we will have participating gardens around the world. Both organizations feel the deep responsibility to protect the biodiversity of life, and we have pledged to share knowledge, skills, and resources to more rapidly achieve our shared missions."

Provided by Missouri Botanical Garden