During the long nineteenth century, the systematic indexing of indigenous plants and peoples played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of European empires. This process involved cataloging native flora and ethnographic information, which served multiple imperial objectives. Botanists and ethnographers collected and classified plants and cultural practices, enabling empires to exploit natural resources for economic gain, such as cash crops, medicines, and raw materials, thereby integrating colonies into global trade networks. Additionally, the documentation of indigenous peoples facilitated governance strategies, including control, assimilation policies, and the justification of colonial rule through narratives of scientific knowledge and racial hierarchy. This indexing also contributed to the production of knowledge that framed indigenous societies as objects of study and control, reinforcing imperial authority. Overall, the cataloging of plants and peoples was not merely academic but deeply intertwined with the political and economic mechanisms of empire-building in the nineteenth century.
