Notes for plant collections

Abstract

Students of Botany and Plant Sciences are often required to make collections of plants. These may be native plants, plants of agricultural or horticultural importance, or plants of botanical interest. Such collections are usually part of the practical requirement of the courses. They: (1) Give an aid to learning common native, crop, pasture and horticultural plants. (2) Give experience in the use of plant identification keys (3) Give a knowledge of how to prepare specimens for submission to a qualified botanists when the collector is unable to identify the plant. (4) Give an indication of the methods involved in building up of large reference collections. An herbarium is a collection of plants preserved for study. It is an aid to the identification of subsequent collections. To be useful specimens in plant collections must be carefully selected, properly prepared and accompanied by adequate data. Vascular plants (ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants) are most easily preserved by pressing and mounting on card. Pressed specimens may be supplemented by drying and/or pickling material in a suitable liquid medium. e.g pine cones are impossible to press, but keep well in the dried form. Fleshy fruits are best pickled in a suitable liquid.