The exhibition explores how scientists, philosophers, writers, artists and filmmakers represent plants for scientific study or enjoyment, creating herbaria of a scientific and poetic nature.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, the exhibition presents the exploratory work of various botanists and artists.

Outside, on the Porch of the Barn and Lagar, the work of Mario Alberto Pedraza is presented, who documented Colombian orchids based on the collections of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) and Aimé Bonpland (1773-1858), made at the beginning of the 19th century

In the Barn's contemplative space, visitors are invited to discover the impressive Grand Herbier d'Ombres/Grand herbarium of shadows by Lourdes Castro (1930-2022), presented in the installation Je/Eux d'Ombres by artist Claudia Isabel Navas. In this space, Philippe Durand surprises with Boscs, cyanotypes featuring various species of flora from contemporary French Mediterranean regions. This reflective journey is further enhanced by a corridor lined with yellow flowers from the Andes, photographed by Ramón Laserna, and by the sound of excerpts from Jean-Jacques Rousseau's eight Lettres de Botanique [Letters on the Elements of Botany].

At the Lagar, the exhibition looks at the first techniques for representing plants, from hand-collecting during the botanical expeditions of the 18th century to plant prints, hand drawings and the first photographs. Here, illustrations from the Real Expedición Botánica (1783-1816) are presented, led by José Celestino Mutis (1732-1808), who inspired Ramón Laserna's reflections on the fragility of the natural world. His work follows in the footsteps of Mutis, who hosted Humboldt and Bonpland in Santa Fe de Bogotá in 1801. In this space, there is also a video installation on Impressions de Plantes [Impressions of Plants], a herbarium containing the plants collected in the Americas by these historical figures.

The exhibition includes the Botany Photography Collection of the University of Coimbra, highlighting the contributions of figures such as Júlio Augusto Henriques (1838-1928). In addition, the unique watercolours of Portuguese orchids by Ursula Beau (1906-1984) celebrate Portuguese biodiversity.