In the worldwide context of the renewal of plant anatomy linked to environmental adaptations, the undertaking of new research projects necessarily implies relying upon old reference collections neglected for a long time, and only with difficulty available for consultation for various reasons.
We examine here the case of the Ochnaceae microslide library assembled by Philippe Van Tieghem around 1900, comprising references about the histology of the family. This collection has been repackaged, in preparation for computerisation, its eco-physiological interpretation requiring the making of complementary slides. Thus, enhancement of historical collections is an integral part of current a research.
