Appendices & Glossary - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

1200 APPENDIX EIGHT/COLLECTING HERBARIUM SPECIMENS
from boxes, paper towels can be substituted for blotters, and simple ropes at least 4 feet long can be
used as straps. With such a simple system and proper care, excellent specimens can be made. Alternatively,
ready-made, convenient presses can be purchased from the sources listed below. Probably the
most important parts of the press are the straps—straps that can be easily tightened and thus ensure
appropriate pressure increase both the quality of the specimens and the convenience of the process.
We thus recommend that a pair of straps be purchased. Because herbaria are museums whose collections
are intended to last hundreds of years, the other requirement is acid-free paper for the labels; this
can either be special archival paper or 100% cotton rag bond. Such quality paper will last indefinitely,
ensuring long-term use of the specimens. Appropriate paper can be obtained from the sources listed
below or can often be purchased from or at least ordered through office supply stores. For reasons of
clarity, if possible, labels should be typed on a typewriter, using a carbon film ribbon or printed using
a computer and a laser printer (as is now done by most botanists because of speed and practicality). A
hand lens (10 power) is another extremely useful tool in working with and identifying plant specimens.
Many plant parts, including specialized hairs or scales, are quite small and moderate magnification
is often essential for accurate identification; hand lenses can also be purchased from the sources
below.
Herbarium Supply Carolina Biological Supply Pacific Papers
2317 Birdie Dr. 2700 York Road 12006 154th Ave. NE
Bozeman, MT 59715-8420 Burlington, NC 27215 Redmond, WA 98052
1-800-348-2338 or 1-800-334-5551 1-800-676-1151
FAX 406-994-9211 FAX 1-800-222-7112 www.pacific-papers.com
www.herbariumsupply.com www.carolina.com
Forestry Suppliers Inc.
205 W. Ranking St.
P.O. Box 8397
Jackson, MS 39284-8397
1-800-647-5368
www.forestry-suppliers.com
Information for this appendix was obtained from Shinners (1958), Smith (1971), Radford et al. (1974),
Benson (1979), Birdson and Forman (1992), MacFarlane (1994), and Simpson (1997). More detailed information
about plant collecting techniques can be gained from these sources. Birdson and Forman
(1992) in their Herbarium Handbook also provided an extensive treatment of herbarium techniques
and management. Stuessy and Sohmer (1996), in a recent edited volume, gave a historical overview of
the documentation of plant diversity, an analysis of societal and scientific needs from plant collections,
and comprehensive information on collecting, documenting, storing, and preserving plant
specimens.