Botanical Techniques (MEETING III)

8/12/2019 Botanical Techniques (MEETING III)

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Botanical Techniques


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BASIC BOTANICAL TECHNIQUESFOCUSES ON

1) Collection and preservation ofplant materials

2) Documentation of plant materials


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Looking for plants


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Where and when to look for plants

The most important part of everycollected specimen is the flower

Almost all natural environmentsare suitable for searching forplants for the herbariumEven in the cities it is possible tolook for plants, just do not takespecimens from the parks andgardens!


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Tools


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TrowelCutters

Plastic bagsKnifeRopes

Camera!Etc.


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Recording Datalocality: be precise, if possible include thelongitude and latitude and also a sketchmap if useful

habitat and ecology: terraincharacteristics, vegetation type,associations with other plants

plant habit: describe the overall size andshape of the plant (tree, bush, epiphyte etc.)


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stems and trunks: height anddiameter; color, texture, thicknessand hardness; the presence ofthorns and spines

leaves: deciduous or evergreen;

color, texture and overall aspect;orientation; exudate or glands


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Recording datainflorescence and flowers: note of everything thatcould be undetected in prepared specimens;color;

monoecious or dioecious; different behaviour(open / closed) during the day; exudate orglands; pollinators

fruits and seeds: size, shape, color, texture;smell


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underground organs: take some samples ordescribe them (size and shape, tap root,tubers, bulb etc.)

scent: record any particular scent, especiallyof cut parts and flowers sap or latex: note the color, smell, consistencyetc.

name: record the locally used name(s) uses: record the uses, getting confirmation


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Processing plants


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Drying specimensSpecial treatments

Preparation for herbarium sheets:mounting and arrangementsLabeling


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Mounting


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Labeling


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A herbarium label should contain thefollowing:Institution with which the collector is affiliatedGenus, species, author namesFamily nameDate of determination of nameLocality

Vegetation and habitatPlant descriptionCollector's nameCollecting date


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Example

The New York Botanical GardenPlants of Bolivia

Poulseni a armata (Miq.) Standl.Moraceaedet. M. Nee, 1991Depto. Sta. Cruz, Prov. Ichilo, Parque Nacional Amboro, RioSaguayo near mouth of Quebrada Yapohe. Secondarytropcal evergreen forest enar camp around abandoned slashand burn plot.Young tree, 2 m. tall; sap milkyColl: M. Nee 40910

June 11, 1991


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The Herbarium

I. A Plant Morgue An herbarium is a collection of

pressed, dried, and labeled plants(and may also include other types ofcollections including wood or seeds).

Perhaps a less morbid analogy isthat an herbarium is a referencelibrary of plants.


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It is generally agreed that Luca Ghini (1490-1556), Professor of Botany at the University ofBologna, prepared the first herbariumspecimens as we recognize them today. Hisstudents, Cibo, Turner, Aldrovandi andCesalpino also made herbaria, some of whichstill exist

Another contender for the oldest herbarium

specimen is an olive branch removed from KingTuts tomb


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How valuable areherbaria?

Monetary Value.Herbarium specimens can be

considered priceless (since they areirreplaceable) or nearly worthlessWhatever the figure, none take intoaccount the intrinsic scientific valueof the specimen.


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Scientific Value.The information content of a herbarium istremendous. Herbarium specimens document:

(a) the appearance of a plant in a particularlocality at a particular time of year; (b) therange of variation within a species; (c) thenature of evolutionary processes; and (d) when

a particular plant flowers or fruits (phenology).They also (e) provide material for study awayfrom the field or at another season.


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And, they serve as: (f) vouchers, or voucherspecimens, that document the identity of plantsused in taxonomic, chemical (i.e., DNA), or

cytological (i.e., chromosome counts), or otherstudies, and as (g) type specimens -specimens upon which names are based.Finally, (h) herbarium specimens may have awealth of information about the medicinal orfood or utility of the plant


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Herbaria around the world

Large herbaria include (# specimens inparentheses):Museum of Natural History, Paris (8.8 million);Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (7 million);Komarov Botanical Institute, Leningrad (5+million);NY Botanical Garden (5.3 million);Harvard (combined herbaria, 4.8 million);US National Herbarium (4.4 million), Smithsonian(4.1 million);Field Museum of Chicago (2.4 million) (data from Index Herbariorum ).


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How?

Asking an expertHunting-and-Pecking (specimen

co mp ar i s o n ) Using a taxonomic key

Documents

Botanical Techniques (MEETING III)