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 plant specimen(s) as instructed by your instructor.  Please use the videos linked below as a reference to prepare your herbarium specimen(s). 

1. Record all requisite data for each plant and its environment.  We expect IDs down to at least family, feel free to get more specific if you choose.  Collect as complete of specimens as possible as instructed.  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 according to instructions.  This will take a number of days.  Make sure you check regularly and change pressing papers if they become saturated.

3. Mount your specimens.  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. 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 plants.  Compare having physical herbaria specimens in front of you vs. having scanned copies. Think about the pros and cons of working with a digital collection.

Skill(s) to Master for Practicum

1. Learn the process of mounting plants to create an herbarium entry

2. Be able to display the most useful structures in a clear way while mounting

3. Include all pertinent information to properly document your herbarium entry

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.

Herbarium Assignment [200 pts.]

Each student will produce 10 herbarium entry pages with 1 specimen identified per page. There must be one entry from each of the following plant families: Lamiaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae, Fabaceae, Liliaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, and Asteraceae. Students can choose to produce all standard 'scientific' herbarium entries or can choose to produce 8 'scientific' entries and 1-2 'artistic' entry(ies) to be used as a wall hanging, card, bookmark, etc. 

Information included on the label (located in the lower right hand corner) or on the back: [10 pts. per entry]

• Plant identification (to Family) - can include genus species or even variety if desired [2 pt.]

• Collection date [1 pt.]

• Collection location [1 pt.]

• Habitat [2 pts.]

• relevant characteristic: how are the leaves arranged? flowers arranged? color? scent? hairs? root structure? color or texture of bark/stem?  Anything note worthy. [3 pts.]

• Collector's name [1 pt.] 

Proper Plant Mounting [10 pts. per entry]

• plant(s) are artfully laid out with key structures visible 

• at least one leaf front side and one leaf backside is visible 

• carefulness (no excess glue, plant is laying down flat, not hanging off of the paper)