Define Herbals - Old books about Plants?

During the Middle Ages, following the decline of the Greek and Roman civilisations, little significant botanical progress was made. The early herbals (i.e., old books about plants), such as the Codex of Dioscorides, were copied and recopied for centuries with only few additions or improvements. In the first half of the sixteenth century, however, a botanical renaissance developed, and it was greatly stimulated by the still young art of printing.

The herbals of Brunfels, Bock, Fuchs, Cordus, and others, sometimes referred to as the 'German Fathers of Botany', are representative of this period.