Herbarium

A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens that are systematically catalogued for scientific study. Specimens are typically pressed, dried, and mounted on sheets, with a label that records essential data such as the scientific name, date and place of collection, collector, and habitat. The main purpose of a herbarium is to provide a verifiable reference for plant identification, taxonomy, biogeography, and conservation work.

History and scope: The practice emerged with early modern botany in Europe. The term herbarium derives from Latin for a plant collection, and the first herbaria were created by scholars and gardeners in the 16th century. Today, most museums, universities, and research institutes maintain substantial plant herbaria that form the backbone of botanical reference work.

Preparation and structure: In the field, specimens are collected as vouchers and material for study. In the herbarium, these are pressed between sheets, dried, and mounted on labeled sheets. Each sheet usually bears an accession number and data fields such as collector, date, locality, habitat, and identification. Modern herbaria also maintain digital records and connect to global biodiversity databases, enabling online access to specimens and metadata.

Storage and access: Sheets are stored in climate-controlled cabinets, organized by taxonomic group and geography. Curators review identifications, manage nomenclatural updates, and ensure data integrity. Many institutions digitize specimens and provide online catalogs and high-resolution images for researchers and educators worldwide.

Significance: Herbaria are essential for plant taxonomy, biodiversity studies, and conservation planning. They preserve historical records of plant diversity, support species identifications, and facilitate research on distributional changes and environmental priorities. Related collections exist for fungi and algae, but the term herbarium is most commonly associated with vascular plants.