Untitled - Smithsonian Institution

4 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 55
Collection and Preparation of Botanical Specimens
111 any case, even if the plant be well known, specimens should
be collected. These, prepared m the manner to be discussed, make
valuable specimens for the ethnological museum. In view of the
fact that many individuals doing ethnobotanical work may not be
familiar with the proper methods of pressing and handling plants,
the following suggestions are made rather explicit and detailed.
The necessity for this is suggested by the experience of the writers,
who have known such collections to consist of a few dried, shriveled,
and undeterminable fragments of plants.
A portable plant-press is recommended for use in collecting. The
collector will supply liimself with sheets of thin, cheap paper (news-
papers will serve the purpose), cut to the size of the press; these are
used to separate the specimens as collected. The specimens should
be large, including, if possible, underground parts, flowers, and fruit.
As collected the specimens are temporarily placed between the sheets
of paper in the plant-press. Special driers made for pressing plants
are highly desirable ; these are of soft, felt-like material and are very
durable; two hundred will be sufficient for collections of ordinary
size. The material collected should either be numbered (the numbers
referring to data in the field book) or the related data should be
included with each specimen. In addition to the information
obtained from the Indians, each plant should bear the following data:
locality collected, date collected, name of collector. The specimens
brought from the field are immediately put into driers; if not pressed
while fresh the plants will lose their color and will mold. Each plant is
placed between two sheets of paper and two or more driers. The
stack of plants, papers, and driers is weighted down with a heavy
stone, and all is kept in a dry place. Driers should be changed at
least once every 24 hours ; the wet driers are placed in a sunny place
to dry; plants should dry within four or five days.
Whenever possible, information about plants should be obtained
from the Indian from the growing plant, as he is thus accustomed to
see and know it or to gather it for use. It is sometimes important
that the plant be examined by the informant in its natural environment,
since it has been learned by experience that plants removed
from the places in wliich they grew tend to confuse the informant and
are identified by liim only with considerable difficulty and uncer-
tainty.
Probably the best way to exhibit ethnobotanical specimens in the
museum is in such mounts as the "Piker specimen mounts,'' by
which the material may be displayed in an attractive, instructive,
and permanent form. These mounts, made in various sizes, are
provided with glass covers; the specimens are arranged on a back-