Task 5

Curation of plants

I attended a session at the University of Oxford Herbarium on 16 October 2023, led by Prof. Stephen Harris (Curator) and Dr Matthew Bulbert (Senior Lecturer in Conservation Ecology), where the history of the herbarium, some of the specimens and methods of creating a collection were discussed.

Oxford University herbarium

If you were to prepare a plant collection tomorrow what would you need to do?

Plan:

• Consider where/when in order to maximise what you choose to collect e.g. flowering/fruiting.

• Obtain relevant permits, permissions, licenses e.g. CITES and consider ethics e.g. Nagoya Protocol

Obtain Materials:

• Notepad and pencil for recording in the field.

• Phone (or other device) for camera and recording location.

• Flower press: 2 flat boards, cardboard, blotting paper, newspaper, strap or rope to tie together. Could also use corrugated aluminium to aid in heating the specimens.

• Mounting materials: linen tape or thread (not cello-tape!), acid free mounting paper. Could use PVA glue as it is water soluble but the risk is that if the paper wrinkles due to changes in humidity then this might break the specimen.

Follow Collection Process:

• Make notes in the field, ensure metadata is captured.

• Sketch and take photos. Sketches are important for noticing the details.

• Ensure photos are linked to the specimen (make sure metadata is added to photos). Remember copyright rules for your images!

• Do not uproot specimens.

• Arrange specimens, if any flowers or leaves need to be removed they can be removed and pressed separately. Ensure the petioles are left.

• Specimens need to be flat in the press but can be stacked.

• Aim is to dry the specimens quickly (by air or artificial heat sources). Ensure blotting paper / newspaper is checked daily and changed if needed.

• You can use body weight to initially compress the specimens, then the straps/rope to keep this pressure applied.

• Don't make specimens too large for the collection paper mounts. You can cut into smaller sections and use photos.

Elements of a good specimen:

• The key aspects of metadata are: space, time and identity but ensure all the notes that are captured can be linked to the specimen. Try and think about how the specimen may be used in the future.

• Flat.

• Relevant parts displayed.

• Leaf arrangement: upper and lower sides of leaves visible, fruiting, fertile (flowering).

• Notes made in the field: Name, chronological number (i.e. a specimen number that is a unique identifier for your collection. If there are multiple samples then these can be denoted with a suffix of a, b, c etc.), family if species unknown, date, location, altitude, landscape/habitat, morphology (particularly things that will not be preserved e.g. colour, smell, texture, height.

What did you enjoy about the experience of visiting the herbaria?

I enjoyed seeing the specimens and learning some of the history behind them, such as the specimens collected by Linnaeus in 1732 and Fairchild's Mule (the first artificial hybrid in 1717). In particular I was impressed to see the specimen collected by Darwin in 1832 from Patagonia, which gave a real sense of history.

Linnaeus specimen from 1732

Darwin specimen from 1832

Fairchild's Mule from 1717

I also enjoyed being reminded of the anecdote about Parmentier's advocacy for potatoes, where he supposedly gave the queen potato blossoms to wear and set guards to watch his potato patch during the day, removing them at night so that people would think they were valuable and take them.

What information did you find surprising?

I was surprised to learn about the 2018 fire that destroyed many valuable artifiacts in the National Museum of Brazil, as I wasn't aware of this. It made me think of the care that needs to be taken when curating these types of objects.

It was also surprising to learn that latin name changes are not really possible. Despite there being clear mistakes in spelling or translation it doesn't appear to be possible to change them e.g. Hordeum murinum (Wall Barley). Murinum actually relates to a mouse, not a wall (the latin for wall is murus).

I was also pleased and a little surprised that the herbaria are open to the public, by appointment, which I think is great and in my view, correct.