Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Purpose of the book
A brief history of herbaria
Why do we need herbaria?
Herbarium highlight: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Collecting for the herbarium
Introduction to collecting
Legislation
Biosecurity
Field notes
Collecting techniques
The collection of special plant groups
How to build a press
Methods for drying plant specimens
The alcohol/‘Schweinfurth’ method
The collection of duplicates
Collector features
The collection of plant tissue samples for DNA
The collection of plants in spirit
The collection of bulky specimens
The collection of ethnobotanical objects
The collection of seeds
Photography
Herbarium highlight: East Africa Herbarium, National Museums of Kenya
Herbarium techniques
Acquisitions and disposal
Specimen exit and shipping
Record keeping
The extended specimen concept
Botanical illustration
Floral dissection
Dissection and illustration of plant material
Identification and naming
Creating labels
The Herbarium Knot
Processing unmounted specimens
Processing spirit material
Processing ethnobotanical collections
Processing bulky collections
Processing seedbank vouchers
Mounting herbarium specimens
Handling
Herbarium arrangement
Incorporation
Condition checking
Repairing and cleaning
Remounting specimens
Databasing and digitisation
Destructive sampling
Loans
Janeiro Botanical Garden
Building and environment
Specimen storage
Health and safety
Pest management
Herbarium Highlight: Herbarium Bogoriense
The herbarium in the wider context
Visitors
Herbarium Highlight: Australian National Herbarium
Science communication
Public engagement and outreach
Science festival
Education
Plant family sorts
The ‘Herbarium in a Box’ idea
Herbarium Highlight: Cambridge University Herbarium
Herbarium snapshots
Herbarium Highlight: William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, New York Botanical Garden
Glossary
References
Image credits
Index