Botanical catalogue of the Mendoza herbarium in the Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Abstract

The Renaissance herbarium kept in the Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial, which came from the legacy of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, is here studied for the first time from a botanical point of view. This herbarium is made up of four bound volumes containing a total of 988 plants, for which the scientific name is provided. It has not been possible to establish with certainty the origin, the date of its creation or the botanist or botanists who contributed to its preparation. It was likely acquired from an intermediary or unknown botanist during the period when its owner was imperial ambassador in Venice and Rome, between 1539 and 1554, and that the plants it contains are of Italian origin.

Keywords

• history of Botany
• Renaissance herbaria
• Mendoza
• El Escorial