In Napoleon's time, botany and natural sciences underwent important developments. New plants and trees were discovered on scientific and military expeditions, brought back to Europe from Africa and Australia, acclimatised in special nurseries and finally planted in botanical and private gardens, which often represented collections of botanical curiosities. Botanists represented plants, flowers and trees for scientific purposes, dedicating new discoveries to the emperor. Painters depicted flowers and plant elements in portraits of Napoleon and his family, giving them allegorical and symbolic meaning.

The importance of plants and trees also increased in public spaces, such as city parks and cemeteries, and along roadsides, where the Emperor ordered the planting of long rows of plane and lime trees in France, Italy, and Croatia and along the routes taken by his troops. Napoleon also contributed to the development of agriculture, with the Napoleonic cadastre providing a better understanding of the division of rural landscapes and production patterns across Europe.

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