Collection of food plants representing geographical diversity and diversity of uses; medical plants representing geographical diversity and technical crops representing geographical diversity and diversity of uses.

For thousands of years, humans have lived in nature alongside plants.  They have been clever, observing their growth, exploring the possibilities and ways to use them for food, medicine and other uses. In this way, they selected plants that were safe to use not only for material needs, but also for spiritual too. And they accumulated and passed on their knowledge from one generation to another. 

In all regions of the world, people have lived in harmony with plants.

Historical records show that plants were used for healing purposes as early as Sumerian times (3000 BC). Clay tiles with descriptions of herbs dating from that time have been found in Mesopotamia. 

The earliest known written record of the medicinal use of plants is found in ancient Egypt, dating back to 1770 BC. Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Galen, Avicenna and other eminent people of antiquity studied plants.  

In the 16th century, collections of useful plants began to be exhibited in specially equipped cabinets and used for educational and practical purposes. 

Particular interest was shown in alien plants. Expeditions were organised to newly discovered lands in America, Australia, Africa and Asia, where researchers collected native plants and recorded indigenous stories about their use. Useful plants were indiscriminately plundered from the wild and transported by ship to the metropolises. Due to lack of knowledge and experience, many of plants died during the journey or on arrival in Europe.

In the 13th century, the information gathered began to be evaluated scientifically. In particular, he focused on plants of economic value.

The botanist John W. Harshberger, who studied North Africa, Mexico and Scandinavia, is considered to be the pioneer of ethnobotany and first used the term in 1895.  

In the 20th century, monocultures of food and technical crops covered large areas of land, to the detriment of native flora and fauna. In the 2nd half of the 20th century, the rapid increase in the number of people across the planet led to the use of synthetic products instead of plant-based products. This changed not only the way people live, but also their relationship with plants. Plants have become commodities. 

In 1992, the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity was signed, where focuses on human beings, who have the right to a healthy and fulfilling life in harmony with nature.  

In the 21st century, the world has seen a resurgence in demand for local products and renewed interest in what and how the ancients grew their plants, and what their relationship to plants was. New ethnobotanical collections have been created, which differ from the previous ones in that they are ethical - the plants and parts of plants on display are accompanied by documents confirming that they were taken in a way that was not harmful to the environment.

In Lithuania, ethnobotany began to take shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main focus was on medicinal plants. 

The aim of the VU Botanical Garden collection is to introduce visitors to plants from Africa, America, Australia, Asia and the Mediterranean region, which are nutritious, medicinal, technical, improve the quality of the environment's air, and have mythical-religious uses, to reveal the relationship between people and plants, and to encourage research and the exploration of new applications for plants.  

The VU Botanical Garden's World Plant Ethnobotanical Collection is targeted to be launched in 2020. But individual species of useful plants, especially edible and medicinal plants, were introduced to the Garden's greenhouses in the 18th and 19th centuries. These include the Myrtus communis L., Citrus medica L. in 1782, Braussonetia papyrifera H′er. in 1804, Olea europea L. in 1814 and the Carica papaya L. in 1821. 

The applications of plants are wide-ranging. Even a single species can be used for food, medicine, fibre production and environmental decoration. For example, the Olea europaea L. - its pickled fruit is edible, its oil is pressed, its leaves not only lower blood sugar but can be used to make yellow dyes, and its wood is hard, fragrant and has been used in housing since ancient times. And that's not all. Outdoor trees provide shelter, trap dust and are now becoming popular for indoor decoration and wellness. 

This and more can be said about every plant. 

The VU Botanic Garden's Big Greenhouse is home to many useful plants from the tropics and subtropics. Not all of them are descendants of species that grow naturally in the wild. Some are man-made varieties that differ from the species in ornamental, nutritional or other qualities. Plants for the collection are purchased from supermarkets and plant lovers. In the greenhouse, their appearance - height, colour, shape - often differs from that of individuals growing in the wild. But all the plants in the collection represent the historically developed relationship between people and plants, which encourages the conservation and care of all plants.

Food plants. This group includes plants whose fresh or processed parts are sources of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It also includes plants that produce edible fruits, stimulants and are used for the production of beverages and spices.

Medicinal plants. Combines plants with bioactive substances in their juices that strengthen the human body, protect against disease and heal. The use of plants and their extracts is the basis of traditional or folk medicine.

Technical plants. This group includes plants whose parts can be used to make paints, fibres, paper, soap, latex, household implements, work tools, etc.

Plants that improve ambient air quality. All plant species improve the quality of the air around us by removing carbon dioxide and other chemicals harmful to human health, and by moistening and enriching the air with health benefits. The collection features tropical and sub-tropical plants that have been studied by scientists and proven to have these benefits through instrumental research. 

Plants with mythical-religious uses. In this group we find plants used by shamans and other sorcerers and in religious and secular ceremonies. Also plants for talismans.

		Paper mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent. It grows in the forests of East Asia. Locals use a decoction of its leaves and stems to treat gonorrhea, a variety of skin ailments, and as a urine-draining tea. The bark is placed on wounds to stop bleeding.  The crushed leaves are sprinkled on cotton plantations to protect the crops from pests because of the plant leaves’ pesticidal properties. Wood is used to make furniture and paper. In Polynesia, the bark of the paper mulberry is peeled off the stem to obtain the longest possible kerf. The inner layer is separated from the bark. After shaving, scraping, and washing, the cuts are pounded and pressed until smooth. They are then rolled to produce a special material which is bleached. This material is used as paper for drawing natural dyes.
		Common fig (Ficus carica L.) In 2006, archaeological excavations revealed that the tree was cultivated for its fruit in villages in the Jordan Valley as early as 11400 BC. It is therefore known as the oldest fruit tree. The fruit was not only valued as food. The fruit has been used as a medicine because of its substances that help prevent heart and blood vessel disease and cancer.
		Night-scented lily (Alocasia odora (G.Lodd.) Spach) It is a very poisonous plant. However, in India, tubers have been used for food since ancient times, heat-treated before eating. It is also used for stomach ailments, insect or snake bites.
		Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans Mart.) It grows spontaneously in the humid rainforests of Mexico and Guatemala. In Lithuania it is grown as a houseplant.