The Herbarium – your guide to pressed collections and old books

We work alongside botany enthusiasts, amateur librarians, and collectors who value the patience of paper and flowers. We believe that every handwritten label and every volume placed on a shelf deserves a place sheltered from haste.

01

Quality absorbent paper

We use thick, acid-free sheets that gradually absorb moisture and preserve the pigment of the petals. We change the sheets every two days to prevent mold and fix the natural texture.

02

Latin calligraphic labeling

Binomial names are written with a nib and water-resistant ink, on labels made of archival paper. Each name becomes a collector's piece, respecting traditional botanical nomenclature.

03

Wooden shelves protected from light

We place the volumes on oak or beech, away from windows and sources of moisture. Silica gel and natural dehumidifiers maintain a stable climate, suitable for old books and pressed herbaria.

The Story of the Herbarium

From the first botanical notebooks to a collection recognized by enthusiasts. Each stage brought careful decisions and results that shaped how we preserve pressed flowers and old books today.

Read the full chronicle
2010

The Beginning – Pressing the First Petals

In the autumn of 2010, Dr. Valter Barbu gathered the first wildflowers and dried them between sheets of quality blotting paper, noting the names in Latin with a fine calligraphy pen. This simple choice became the foundation of our preservation method.

2013

Systematic Labeling of the Collection

Panait Simionescu introduced a calligraphic labeling system for each specimen, respecting binomial nomenclature. Each handwritten label transformed the herbarium into both a scientific and artistic journal.

2016

Wooden Shelves – A Haven for Volumes

We set up the first solid oak shelves, protected from direct sunlight and humidity. The correct spacing of the shelves and the use of silica gel allowed old books and herbariums to be preserved in stable conditions, without degradation.

2019

Workshops Open to Enthusiasts

We organized the first practical meetings where we showed how to dry petals between blotting paper, how to write Latin labels, and how to arrange volumes on shelves. Participants went home with their own pressed specimens.

2022

Catalog of Latin Names

We published a printed guide bringing together over 200 botanical names, each accompanied by a calligraphic label and a photograph of the pressed petal. It became the reference resource for personal libraries in Romania.

2024

Expansion of the Collection and Shelves

We doubled the number of volumes and pressed specimens, and the beech wood shelves were reconfigured to allow better air circulation. The result: a living, orderly collection protected from degrading factors.

The People Behind the Collection

Every herbarium and personal library requires careful guidance. Our team brings together a passion for botany and the art of preservation.

Botanist and Conservator

Dr. Valter Barbu

Doctor in natural sciences, with over 20 years of experience in pressing and labeling wild flora species from the Carpathians. He has coordinated digitization projects for herbarium collections for regional museums and leads practical workshops on drying petals between high-quality absorbent paper.

Restorer of Old Books

Panait Simionescu

A master restorer specialized in volumes from the 19th–20th centuries, with detailed knowledge of the effects of humidity and direct sunlight on paper and leather bindings. He has restored over 300 volumes from monastic libraries and private collections, using exclusively natural materials and traditional techniques.

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