About Herbarium

2. → Purpose to collect herbarium.
→ Methods of making herbarium.
→ Simple plant collection methods.

3.  A Collection of dried plant specimen, mounted
on sheets.
 Bank of plant specimens.
 Reference center for verification of Identification,
Documentation facility and a storehouse.
 A dried plant Library.

4. • Traditionally, the dried specimens are mounted on
sheets of paper and filled in folders in cabinets.
• These specimens can last for hundreds of years when
give proper care and protection from damage from
insects, light and humidity.
• Herbarium specimens allow you to show someone
distinctive morphological characters important for correct
identification.

5. Why do we collect Herbarium?
 To allow and support accurate identification of plants.
 To provide a permanent record for a species occurring at a particular
time and place.
 To form the basis of reliable distribution, habit and habitation
information.
 To document the introduction and spread of invasive weeds over
time.
 To provide the basis biological material for taxonomists, ecologists
and other researchers.

6.  There are four main aspects to making good herbarium
specimens:
 Collection
 Pressing & Preserving
 Mounting
 Labeling

7. • Equipment:
- Digger or pick
- Knife/ Cutter
- Field plant press/ Vasculum (Collecting can)
- Bloating papers/ Neswpapers

8.  Generally whole plant with roots or any other underground
parts are to be taken for plant sample. But in case of large
trees or the plant having height more than 4 feet the twig with
leaves and fruit/ flower are to be taken.
 It should be necessary that the plant sample having leaves
and fruit/ flower.
 In some plant species the male and female plants are
different. In that case the flower must be necessary.

9.  If possible you should select the mature plant parts.
Morphology of young plant parts may be different
than mature one. It will cause the wrong
identification.
 To cut the plant you should use blade or cutter not
with hand.
 While collecting the creepers you should take care
that the other plant parts are not to be taken with it.
 If possible take photograph (showing plant clearly) of
the plant in its natural habitat.

10.  At the time of collection you should have a small notebook and
following details you should be noted down:
- Plant habit:- Herb, Shrud, Tree, Climber etc.
- Color of flower,
- Local name of flower,
- Date and time of collection,
- Locality of plant,
- If plant having and latex of other liquid material you
should also note it. It will help to better identification.

11. Pressing the plant sample
 Pressing means to apply enough pressure to hold the plant in a position that
best displays the botanical features while drying.
 Plant press is used for pressing the plant specimens.
 Press only one specimen per page.
 The leaves, flowers and other structures should be arranged in as natural
manner as possible on the newspaper while at the same time trying to avoid
excessive overlap and crowding.
 Trim the excess material in a way that is clearly observed that material was
removed from tha place(s).
 Both surface (Dorsal and Ventral) of leaves should be seen to observe certain
characters.
 Reproductive structures should be accessible for study. At least some flowers
should be spread open so that the internal structures will be visible for
examination.
 Change the paper after 24 hours till completely dried.
 Five to Ten days is typical for plants in a press without any heat source to get
dried.

12. Safety measures for sending the specimens
 Once the specimens have been dried, they are mounted on a paper
sheet.
 The plant specimens can be strapped with linen or cotton thread,
knotted on the reverse side of the sheet or attached to the paper
using thin strips of transparent adhesive tapes or cellulose tapes.
 Care should be taken while packing to avoid damage during
transportation.
 The specimen sheet should be put between file covers, shredded
papers or thermocol sheets to fill the empty space.

13. Mounting specimens on Herbarium sheets
 The completely dried specimen then mounted on Herbarium
sheets which has specific size of 42x28
 To mount, one of the following methods would be found
convenient;
1) The gum is spread on a glass plate and specimen is laid on it. As
soon as all the parts come in contact with gum, it is lifted and
then placed in a position on a mounting sheet.
2) The specimen is inverted and painted with the gum by a brush
and then transferred to a mounting sheet.
3) The specimen is places, so that most of the part remain loose.

15. • After mounting the specimen, a label is
pasted in the right hand lower corner of the
sheet.
• This carries information regarding Botanical
name of the plant, common name, date,
collector’s name, place of location.

16. THANK
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