We are thrilled and honoured to invite you to a unique event that celebrates the Transylvania Florilegium, a two-volume exquisite edition containing paintings of 124 plants from a list compiled by the renowned botanist Dr John Akeroyd FLS, an authority on European plants who has been working on the Transylvanian flora for over twenty years.
The evening features an exhibition of20 framed drawings of rare flowers from the Florilegium, carefully selected together with Lady Henrietta Pearson of Addison Publications, and fascinating presentations by Dr John Akeroyd,Helen Allen FLS, a renowned botanical artist who headed The Transylvania Florilegium project, and Christine Battle, one of the painters who visited Romania within the framework of the project.
When His Majesty King Charles III first visited Transylvania in 1998, he was smitten by its unique beauty and heritage. His Majesty saw the importance of the flora and, fearing that some plants may be vulnerable, suggested it should be recorded in the form of aflorilegium. Lady Henrietta Pearson and Addison Publications have taken up this vital task, creating The Transylvania Florilegium, which is not only a wonderful book but also a significant appeal for environmental protection. Using the talents of thirty-six of the finest contemporary artists from all over the world, The Transylvania Florilegium contains 124 prints of the watercolours, with an introduction by Christopher Mills, formerly Librarian at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Additionally, Dr Akeroyd has written an informative text for each plant, including scientific botanical details, as well as recording the location and date of discovery for the illustrated material. As with The Highgrove Florilegium, which inspired this publication, the paintings have undergone a rigorous selection process involving artists, botanists, and art historians to ensure a high standard of work.
BIOGRAPHIES
Dr. John Akeroyd is a distinguished British botanist, writer, and conservationist with over four decades of experience in plant science and ecological advocacy. Educated at the University of St Andrews and the University of Cambridge, where he earned his PhD in plant ecology, Dr. Akeroyd has held academic positions at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Reading, contributing significantly to the landmark Flora Europaea. A specialist in European flora and plant taxonomy, he has described numerous plant species and edited key botanical journals. His work spans from scientific research to public engagement, including the co-founding of Plant Talk, the first international magazine dedicated to global plant conservation. Dr. Akeroyd is particularly recognised for his conservation efforts in Romania, where he has collaborated with Fundatia ADEPT and the, at the time, HRH The Prince of Wales Foundation to promote traditional farming and biodiversity in the Transylvanian countryside. He served as the botanical consultant for theTransylvania Florilegium, an acclaimed collection of botanical art celebrating the region’s unique flora. A Fellow of the Linnean Society since 1982, Dr. Akeroyd is also the author of several popular field guides and the recent cultural explorationPlants & Us: How They Shape Human History and Society. His talks blend scientific insight with a passion for nature, culture, and the deep relationship between people and plants.
Helen Allen is a distinguished British botanical artist, educator, and curator, celebrated for her contributions to botanical illustration and education. Helen Allen began her artistic journey studying textile design at the University of Leeds, earning a BA (Hons) in 1969. She furthered her education with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Homerton College, Cambridge, in 1970. In her late forties, Allen pursued her passion for plants and art by enrolling in the Diploma in Botanical Illustration at the English Gardening School, located at Chelsea Physic Garden, where she studied under Anne-Marie Evans. She later became a tutor and, in 2005, succeeded Evans as Course Director. From 2014 to 2018, Allen founded and directed the Chelsea School of Botanical Art at the Chelsea Physic Garden, helping to foster a new generation of botanical artists. She continues to teach privately from her garden studio near Richmond Park. Helen Allen's work has been exhibited internationally, including at Ebury Galleries, The Garden Museum, Chelsea Physic Garden, Hampton Court Palace, the Shirley Sherwood Gallery in London, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Her illustrations are part of esteemed collections, including the Highgrove Florilegium, the Hunt Institute, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Chelsea Physic Garden. She played a pivotal role in the Transylvania Florilegium, a project initiated by King Charles III to document the wildflowers of Romania's Transylvanian region. Helen Allen is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London and a member of both the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society and the Hampton Court Palace Florilegium Society.
Christine Battle is an internationally recognised botanical artist based in Wiltshire, UK. Born in 1956 in Montreal, Canada, she developed an early fascination with plants, inspired by Albrecht Dürer’s Great Piece of Turf. However, it wasn't until 2006—after a career in journalism and copywriting—that she pursued botanical art, prompted by a birthday gift of a two-day illustration course. She subsequently earned a Diploma in Botanical Illustration from the English Gardening School at Chelsea Physic Garden in 2008. Christine's work is characterised by meticulous detail and scientific accuracy, primarily using watercolour on handmade paper or vellum. Notably, her series "New Trees," inspired by the book by John Grimshaw and Ross Bayton, earned her a Gold Medal at the Royal Horticultural Society's Malvern Spring Show in 2010. In 2011, her painting of Eucalyptus leucoxylon subsp.megalocarpa received an Honourable Mention from the American Society of Botanical Artists. Christine is a member of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society, contributing to the documentation of the garden's plant collection. She has also contributed illustrations to Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, published by Kew Gardens, and participated in theTransylvania Florilegium.Beyond her artistic endeavors, Christine is an avid plantswoman, cultivating an extensive collection of over 200 oak taxa in her arboretum at Congrove. Her dual passion for art and horticulture uniquely positions her within the botanical art community.
Henrietta Pearson is the Chief Executive of the fine art publishing house Addison Publications, which has produced the now famous two-volume Transylvania Florilegium depicting the rich wild flora of Romania. Having been brought up in the English countryside, at the award-winning Northamptonshire garden Coton Manor, Henrietta has always had a deep interest in plants and nature. After a year in Florence studying drawing, Henrietta graduated with a degree in the history of Art and Italian from the University of London. From the time she left University, she has been involved in exclusive, fine-art printing and publishing. Initially with Editions Alecto on a ten-year hand printing project with the Natural History Museum to publish Joseph Banks’ Florilegium, a magnificent publication of the 738 original copper plate engravings of plants gathered on Captain Cook’s first voyage around the world, 1768-1771. Setting up her own publishing house in 2003, she has since been involved in major projects including the Domesday Book with the National Archive and the Lindisfarne Gospels with the British Library. She was invited in 2005 by The Prince of Wales’s Foundation to work with leading botanical artists to design a publication for the collection of watercolour paintings of plants growing at HM the King’s garden at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. This was issued from 2008 as the two-volume Highgrove Florilegium, a collection of 124 lithographs with botanical text, using the traditional skills of British typographers, printers, papermakers and bookbinders. It was as a result of this successful project that His Majesty suggested creating the Transylvania Florilegium, in the same fine format, to record the rich variety of Romanian plants.
When: 24 June - 24 July, 2025
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH, UK
