What is a Herbarium?

• A herbarium is a collection of pressed, dried plants.
• Plants are mounted on card stock along with a data label.
• Plants are stored in an insect-proof cabinet.
• Think of a herbarium as a plant museum with an emphasis on storage and research rather than public displays.

Purpose

• Research
• to document when and where a plant was collected
• to allow experts to confirm the identity of a plant
• to store a duplicate specimen at a university herbarium for future research
• Reference
• to compare with future specimens
• to display for the education of staff and the public
• the public may visit the Herbarium by appointment with NRMO

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