Herbarium

That’s a lot of dried out leaves and tiny tree stumps. What are they doing here?

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Herbarium

• this right here is a prime example of an herbarium
• formally defined as a collection of well preserved plant specimens
• usually leaf specimens are dried and pressed and stored in light weight envelopes in the large cabinets seen along the sides of this picture
• some of the specimens may even be “types”, or the one particular specimen that is the defining specimen for a species
• for example, the type specimen for a fern is the most fern like fern leaf
• an herbaria can be, not just a collection of specimens
• it can also be part of an institution that performs research, like a museum or a university
• why do we have all of these dead plants lying around though?
• to do plant taxonomical research, of course!
• it can also function as a historical record of flora through time and record of local flora

So many uses, so many reasons to study plants. Sounds like it’s time to get out there and explore.