Herbarium

This lab will focus on a traditional collection of vascular seed plants; two major areas will be covered: (1) Preparation of plant specimens & (2) Plant identification. . Simple plant presses will be assembled. Field techniques, including collecting representative specimens and recording data, will be presented. Drying, mounting, and labeling specimens will also be discussed. The herbarium is both a collection of dried plants and an educational and research institution. It is a reference center for verification of identifications, a documentation facility, and a data storehouse. An herbarium serves scientists, educators, government workers, and private citizens. Traditionally, the dried specimens are mounted on sheets of paper and filed in folders in cabinets (there is one at Merry Lea in fact!). These specimens can last for hundreds of years when given proper care and protection from damage from insects, light, and humidity. Some collections also accommodate bulky materials such as pine cones, large fruits, or fossils that must be filed separately. Most fungi and algae present special problems because they must be preserved in liquid.

The lab activity

The purpose of this activity is to learn how to create an herbarium entry. Collect any 5 plant specimens according to the directions in the videos below. It is acceptable to collect plants you have already identified in previous labs or feel free to collect new plants!

1. Record all requisite data for each plant and its environment. We only expect IDs down to family, feel free to get more specific if you choose. Collect as complete of specimens as possible according to the video below. Clean your specimens and prepare them for pressing. This may include arranging flowers, making interesting features more visible, or trimming roots or fruits.

2. Press and dry your specimens using what you have on hand according to instructions in the video below. This will take a number of weeks. Make sure you check regularly and change pressing papers if they become saturated.

3. Mount your specimens on heavy construction paper or similar using thinned Elmer's glue or similar as demonstrated by the video below. The specimens should be mounted in a way such that their most distinguishing characteristics are most visible. Make sure all requisite information is recorded on the paper with the specimen similar to the example image shown below.

4. Provide a 1 paragraph explanation detailing (i) why you mounted the plants you did, (ii) why you made the choices you did regarding mounting positions, structures mounted, etc., and (iii) what you learned throughout the process.

5. Kew gardens is one of the most famous botanical locations in the world. They are in the process of scanning their collections online. Click the link to visit their archive. Search the catalog for plants that are from the same families as your 5 plants. Compare having physical herbaria specimens in front of you vs. having scanned copies. Discuss the pros and cons of working with a digital collection.

WHAT TO HAND IN ON YOUR WEBSITE

• 5 photos showing each of your 5 finished herbarium entries complete with details for each plant [50 points]

• paragraph explanation detailing (i) why you mounted the plants you did, (ii) why you made the choices you did regarding mounting positions, structures mounted, etc., and (iii) what you learned throughout the process. [5 points]

• paragraph discussing pros and cons of working with a digital collection. [5 points]

Background

Below you will see an example of a finished herbarium entry. Notice the display of relevant structures and the recorded information. Your finished page should look similar to this.