Herbaria and Database SystemsMichael G. Simpson

What is an herbarium?A place where preserved plant collections are kept,usually pressed and dried plant specimens attached to a sheet of paper= herbarium specimen

Function or purpose of herbaria?Maintain plant specimensAct as centers of plant systematics research

Reference book for herbaria?Index Herbariorum

Homlgren, P. K., N. H. Holmgren, and L. C. Barnett, eds. 1990. Index herbariorum, part I: The herbaria of the world, 8th ed. New York: New York Botanical Garden. http://www.nybg.org/bsci/ih/ih.html(continuously updated)

Index HerbariorumHerbarium Year Founded AcronymSpecimens Musum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris France 1635P,PC 9,500,000New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, U.S.A.1891 NY7,000,000Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, U.K.1841K7,000,000Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, Genve, Switzerland1824G6,000,000Komarov Botanical Institute, St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Russia 1823LE5,770,000Missouri botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.1859MO5,400,000The Natural Hisotry Museum, London, England, U.K.1753BM5,200,000Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.1864GH5,005,000(incl. A,AMES,ECON,FH,NEBC)Naturhistorisches Museum, Wien, Austria1807W5,000,000Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden1739S4,400,000Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.1848US, USNC4,368,000Institute de Botanique, Montpellier, France1845MPU4,000,000Universit de Lyon, Villeurbane, France1924LY4,000,000Universitatis Florentinae, Museo botanico, Firenze, Italy1842FI3,650,000Friedrich-Schiller-Universitt, Jena, Germany1895JE3,000,000

Herbarium Specimen?

Size and format of herbarium specimen?

Herbarium Label?

Herbarium Curator?Person responsible for running the herbarium. Maintaining collection.Processing new collections to the herbarium.Distributing loans.Resource for plant identification.

Accession number?Permanent number associated with each specimen.

Usually written with herbarium acronym:SD 121596SDSU 13655UC 218486

Storing and handling specimens?Herbarium cabinet /compactor, with sealed door.Genus folders stored, may be color-coded: alphabetical or by classification system.Handle carefully, gen. dont turn upside-down.

Annotation Label?Verifies or changes identity of specimen.2)Documents removal of plant materialDifferent types of data?

Removing plant material?Get PermissionMay reconstitute in boiling water or detergent solution.Flowers, pollen, ovules, tissues, DNA.

Herbarium Loan?Insect control?

Data Information System?Inputting, organization, and accessing of information.Data may answer questions in plant taxonomy.

Data Information Systems: FieldsTaxonomic Number Group Family Genus Species Species Author Infraspecific Rank Infraspecific Name Infraspecific Author Collection Number Determination Date Certainty of identification Country State District Locality Latitude Longitude Elevation Habitat Description Date of Collection Collector: First Name Collector: Last Name Associate Collectors Phenology Accession Number Accession Source Supplemental Information

Types of data?CollectorPlant features Flower color, phenology, plant habit, size, etc.Geography (specific latitude/longitude) MapsHabitat Substrate type, topographyCommunity associatesRarity

Floras versus Monographs?Flora - treatment documenting all plants of a given region, e.g., Flora of Palomar Mountain State Park

Monograph - treatment documenting all taxa of a given taxonomic group e.g., Monograph of the genus Tephrosia