Paleobotanical collection
Paleobotany, the discipline devoted to the study of fossil plants and plant material (reproductive organs, leaves, wood, pollen grains), makes it possible to reconstruct past climates and trace the evolutionary history of plants over geological time. The Museum's collection of fossil plants was started in 1835 by Adolphe Brongniart, a pioneer in the discipline.
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Presentation
The Museum's collection of fossil plants, initially assembled in the 19th century by leading figures in the field (Brongniart, Saporta, Grand'Eury, Renaut, Fritel, Boltenhagen), has been enriched by more than 400 collectors and currently contains nearly 70,000 specimens and lots. While it is particularly rich in collections from the Carboniferous and Cenozoic periods from France, it also contains collections from other stratigraphic levels, particularly from Europe and Asia. The paleobotanical collection comprises around 3,000 types and figured specimens.
Three special collections
The collection of Adolphe Brongniart (1801-1876) includes numerous reference specimens for the flora of coalfields. This pioneer of paleobotany collected samples from French coal mines.
The Gaston de Saporta collection (1823-1895) includes numerous specimens from French Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits, particularly from southeastern France, including most of types and figured specimens that are highly important in the discipline.
The Boltenhagen slide collection comes from sediments extracted from boreholes drilled during oil exploration in Central Africa (Gabon, Congo, Cameroon) in the early second half of the 20th century.
Activities
The collection is mainly used for fundamental research (taxonomy, comparative anatomy, systematics, paleoecology), and also for museography and teaching. The collection is regularly expanded through fieldwork carried out by members of the Centre de recherche en Paléontologie - Paris (CR2P - UMR 7207 MNHN/CNRS/SU), or deposited by various paleobotanists and geologists from other institutions, or through donations from amateurs.
Contacts
Dr. Cédric Del Rio; cedric.del-rio [at] mnhn.fr (cedric[dot]del-rio[at]mnhn[dot]fr)
Dr. Simon Beurel; simon.beurel [at] mnhn.fr (simon[dot]beurel[at]mnhn[dot]fr)
Pr. Florian Jabbour; florian.jabbour [at] mnhn.fr (florian[dot]jabbour[at]mnhn[dot]fr)