A herbarium is a storage device for plant species, basically a library of dried and preserved plants. It is a collection of preserved plant specimens; these may be either whole plants or part of plants. Usually the plants are dried, then mounted on a special sheet of paper that may also be kept in alcohol or other preservatives. As a part of my project, I hope to at least start one of these and train Mr. Todd and possibly a few others so that this can be continued in years to come.
The closest herbarium in Ames is the ISU herbarium at Ada Haden. It is run by Debrah Lewis (also my professional contact). The Ada Hayden Herbarium has the largest collection of Iowa plants and fungi, it contains over 600,000 specimens of plants, bryophytes, fungi, and lichen. The herbarium is used primarily as a research tool for taxonomic studies, but it is also used for identifying unknown plants. Specimens are loaned to specialists at other institutions around the world. Loans from other herbarium are also used for researcher to access other collections.
herbarium logo
The process of starting a herbarium is actually very complicated. A lot of very specific materials are needed for this project. These include*:
plants press
dicotimous key to identify the plants
herbarium paper or 12"x18" art paper (one sheet per specimen)
glue
razor blade
water and bucket
scissors or clippers
small shovel
insect repellant
I also found a really nice website that has suppies for sale as well as descriptions of the supplies needed for a herbarium to start and run properly. http://www.herbariumsupply.com/nu_dynamicIndex.asp
In addition to keeping a specimen of a plant, it is important to take photographs for extra insurance as well as to use in computer records and online herbariums. The steps of creating a herbarium are also very specific. it is extremely important to follow these steps correctly in order to preserve the specimens corrects so they can be kept for a very long time. Some helpful hints to starting and keeping up a herbarium are as follows*:
know the taxa which are locally or nationally rare or protected so you don not use these
if you encounter a plant that is unfamiliar, assume it is rare and don't collect it until you know otherwise
only collect multiple specimens of common taxa that are locally abundant
collect only the number of specimens needed for your collection
never collect the only plant of a population
care properly for the specimen you collect
avoid unnecessary damage to the collection site
always get permission of the landowner of private property
obtain necessary permits for collecting on public land
if you discover a new plant, always notify the appropriate conservation official
The closest herbarium in Ames is the ISU herbarium at Ada Haden. It is run by Debrah Lewis (also my professional contact). The Ada Hayden Herbarium has the largest collection of Iowa plants and fungi, it contains over 600,000 specimens of plants, bryophytes, fungi, and lichen. The herbarium is used primarily as a research tool for taxonomic studies, but it is also used for identifying unknown plants. Specimens are loaned to specialists at other institutions around the world. Loans from other herbarium are also used for researcher to access other collections.
The process of starting a herbarium is actually very complicated. A lot of very specific materials are needed for this project. These include*:
I also found a really nice website that has suppies for sale as well as descriptions of the supplies needed for a herbarium to start and run properly. http://www.herbariumsupply.com/nu_dynamicIndex.asp
This particular web page has various descriptions of herbariums that people have as well as some of their ways of pressing, mounting, and create your own herbarium. http://www.herbcompanion.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=744&tag=Herbarium
In addition to keeping a specimen of a plant, it is important to take photographs for extra insurance as well as to use in computer records and online herbariums. The steps of creating a herbarium are also very specific. it is extremely important to follow these steps correctly in order to preserve the specimens corrects so they can be kept for a very long time. Some helpful hints to starting and keeping up a herbarium are as follows*:
Refrences
*http://www.biologyjunction.com/how_to_make_a_wildflower_collect.htm
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~herbarium/