Philippe Martin has been teaching botany at UTAN for many years and has been managing and promoting the University of Namur's botanical collections for nearly twenty years. He has published Les familles des plantes à fleurs (2014) and the inventory of the Brendel Collection (2024) with Presses universitaires de Namur.

When humans separated from the animal kingdom, with the emergence of human consciousness, the plant world created an environment that permeated and intrigued them. Certain plants made such an impression that they gave rise to myths and symbols, and several contributed to the emergence of religion. The main symbolic elements suggested by plants are detailed in this lecture, including the apple, the olive tree, the oak, and many others.

Registration fee: €7 - UTAN members: €5

More information on the UTAN website: https://www.utan.be/index.php/conferences