HERBARIUM

A collection of plant specimens preserved, labeled and stored in an organized manner that facilitates access  is known as Herbarium. Herbarium collections are often housed in botanical gardens, arboretums, natural history museums, and universities. Herbaria provide comparative material that is indispensable for studies in plant taxonomy and systematics. The collections are also essential to the proper naming of unknown plants and to the identification of new species. In addition to taxonomic import, herbaria are commonly used in the fields of ecology, plant anatomy and morphology, conservation biology, biogeography, ethnobotany, and paleobotany.

                 The sheets provide biogeographic information that can be used to document the historic ranges of plants, to locate rare or endangered species, or to trace the expeditions of explorers and plant collectors. Physically, the specimens are important sources of genetic material for DNA analyses and of pollen for palynological studies. Herbarium sheets are often shared among researchers worldwide, and the specimens of many herbaria have been digitized to further facilitate their use.

• Digital Herbarium 01