Unknown artist, Herbarius Patauie impressus, Passau, Johann Petri, 1485, Rare Books Collection, State Library Victoria

Plants have been used as medicine for thousands of years. Beginning with the ancient Greeks, various cultures have recorded their knowledge of useful plants in books known as 'herbals'. This hand-painted page from an early printed herbal produced in Germany shows the importance of accuracy in botanical art: the reader identifies the plant at a glance, and then learns about its various uses from the text beneath.