To collect from herbarium specimens, I went through the SERNEC data base and identified the best quality specimens in the UTK herbarium. Once I had a list of specimens, I pulled the appropriate ones out of storage, filled out a spread sheet with all available information, and prepared to collect from the specimen. For the collection, I used forceps to identify healthy, undamaged leaf tissue which would be easy to prise up. Here I would snap off around 4 square centimeters or 9 grams of leaf tissue, which I stored in a coin envelope. The coin envelope was then labeled and placed inside a plastic bag with a pack of silica gel- to prevent mold formation.  

A similar procedure was followed for living tissue with the main difference being scissors were used to remove leaf tissue. 

To capture primary genetic data of these ferns, I will employ a three prong attack using ddRAD-seq, Hyb-Seq, and Chloroplast Genetic sequencing.