The d’Oignies herbarium: contents and origins of an early 18th-century plant collection from the Netherlands

A little over 200 years ago, an anonymous 18th-century herbarium was bought at auction by the National Library in The Hague, the Netherlands. Until recently, nobody knew where this herbarium originated, with its carefully dried plant specimens accompanied by ornamental urns and garbled names. In 1868, it was handed over to the National Herbarium, an institution that later became part of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. The lack of scientific attention seemed at odds with the beauty and the possible historic relevance of this herbarium. We studied the 796 digitised specimens and identified 618 unique plant species. The high number of exotic, and non-medicinal Dutch plants was remarkable. By determining the species’ native range, comparing the herbarium with other contemporary collections, studying the paper and bindings, tracing the identity of one-time owner Simone d’Oignies, and in particular tracing the origin of the plant names, we were able to assess when the herbarium was made and its scientific and societal value. Jakob Ligtvoet (1686–1752), head gardener of the Leiden botanic garden, owned a herbarium with all the characteristics of the d’Oignies collection at the time of his death. Comparison with the very similar Zierikee herbarium, convinced us that the d’Oignies herbarium matched the description of the herbarium once owned by Ligtvoet. Both collections were created and kept by the gardeners of the Leiden botanic garden and are of great scientific and societal value.