An exhibition at Saffron Walden Museum will explore our relationship with plants and the secrets of their survival over hundreds of millions of years.

'Plants: The Struggle for Survival' brings original 19th-century herbarium specimens to life using items from across the museum's collections.

The exhibition will show the evolution of plants and how their diversity has helped them colonise the planet.

Visitors can travel through nearly one billion years of evolution, learning about plants ranging from the microscopic to the mega-sized and their use in folklore and traditional remedies.

The exhibition also explores how people from the area helped record and preserve different plant species, and how essential plants are to our everyday life.

James Lumbard, natural sciences officer at Saffron Walden Museum, says: "We are thrilled to feature our historic plant specimens again after several years out of the limelight.

"The exhibition includes truly unique Victorian collections and highlights new stories of modern medicine, traditional beliefs and personal obsession."

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'Plants: The Struggle for Survival' runs until Sunday, July 2 in the museum's ground floor special exhibitions gallery.

The museum is open from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and from 2pm to 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. It is closed on Wednesdays during term time.

Admission is £2.50 for adults, £1.25 for concessions and free for under-18s.