herbaruri

Herbaruri are collections of preserved plant specimens assembled for scientific study, reference, and teaching. The plants are usually dried, pressed, and mounted on archival sheets, each bearing a label with the taxonomic name, author citation, collector, date, locality, habitat, and collection notes. Together, the sheets document plant diversity and provide a physical library for comparison and research. In Romanian, the word herbar denotes such a collection, and herbaruri is its plural form.

History and scope: The herbarium tradition developed in Europe in the early modern period and became central to taxonomy, systematics, and natural history. Major herbaria reside in national institutions and universities; many house type specimens that anchor species names and enable robust reference work. Herbaruri also preserve historical material gathered by explorers and botanists, offering data on past distributions and environments.

Methods and curation: Specimens are prepared by pressing and drying, mounted on acid-free sheets, and labeled with precise collection data. They are stored under controlled conditions and cataloged in databases. Increasingly, herbaria digitize holdings, producing high-resolution images and online catalogs that facilitate global access and data sharing through platforms linked to biodiversity networks.

Uses and significance: Herbaruri underpin plant identification, taxonomic research, phylogenetics, ecology, biogeography, and conservation planning. They support the description of new species, studies of morphological variation, and historical ecology. They also serve education and public outreach, preserving a durable record of plant life for future generations.