PCOG HERBARIUM.PDF

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana PHARM 172 PLANT MORPHOLOGY HERBARIUM www.knust.edu.gh...

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana PHARM 172 PLANT MORPHOLOGY HERBARIUM www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 1  Learning Objectives The student should be able to: Define what a herbarium is and its functions. Discuss the brief history behind herbarium. Explain the stages involved in plant collection, preparation, preservation and storing of herbarium specimens www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 2  LEARNING OUTCOME The student should be able to explain how a mounted labelled specimen as suitable for a herbarium is prepared. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 3  Outline Introduction: definition and history Aims and Functions Some important Herbaria Preparing for a herbarium collection of specimens; making the specimens ready for drying; (iii) drying of specimens; (iv) poisoning of dry specimens; mounting; labelling; storing; housing. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 4  Introduction Herbarium referred to one or more rooms or a building where the mounted and labelled herbarium-sheets are stored systematically. It is a museum for plant specimens which have been collected, dried, and preserved for study in an organized fashion. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 5  Introduction A herbarium is a collection of dried plants systematically named and arranged in some systematic order that facilitates examination of all the material of a particular taxon for ready reference and study. It differs from a botanic garden which comprises a collection of living plants. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 6  Introduction Herbarium specimens provide data on the morphology, distribution, and growth and reproduction of plants. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 7  Introduction To make a herbarium specimen, the plant is collected, and notes are made about it. The plant is then pressed until dry between blotters that absorb moisture and mounted onto a herbarium sheet with a suitable label. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 8  AIM To assemble in one place all possible information about habits, varieties and uses of all the plants. A repository of information and research tool. It may be concerned with local area town, nation, or world. Could be a single taxon e.g. sp, few ( genus or family), cultivated, wild. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 9  Functions of herbaria DNA analysis and sequencing Document rare or extinct species Facilitate the discovery or confirmation of new species Know their useful properties – i.e. Use Material for morphological studies, and documentation of flowering and fruiting times www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 10  Functions of herbaria Named in order to transfer information about those plants – i.e. Nomenclature Provide data for agriculture, human health, biosecurity, forensics, control of invasive species, Provides ecological and range data for existing species Repository for type specimens-identification www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 11  Functions of herbaria Species locality data-areas of occurrence-distribution Trace the close relatives of a useful plant as those might have similar properties – i.e. Classification www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 12  History Origin, credited to Luca Ghini (1480-a Prof at the Italian university of Bologna (1530) who discovered plants dried under pressure and pasted on sheets of paper could be preserved almost indefinitely and transported easily. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 13  History He prepared 300 of these specimen which unfortunately are lost to us. However, woks of 2 of his students: Andrea Caesalpini (768, Italian plant specimens) and Ulisse Aldrovandi, succeeded Ghini as Professor of Botany at Bologna (1000s, a global collection). Originally, individual mounted sheets were bound as books up to about 1700. Linnaeus (1707-1778) did not use the technique but kept separate sheets horizontally in cases www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 14  History French physician and botanist Joseph Pitton de Turnfort (1656-1708) is credited with first applying the term herbarium to a collection of dried, pressed medicinal plants around 1700 for the first time. Later, term used by Carolus Linnaeus regularly. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 15  Herbaria in the World The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) established Index Herbariorum in 1935 and published its first six editions. According to the data in Index Herbariorum as of 31 December 2021, there are 3522 active herbaria in the world containing 397,598,253 specimens. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 16  List of Largest Herbaria SPECIMEN ( CA CITY NAME MILLIONS) London, U.K. Royal Botanic 8.1 Gardens, Kew Paris, France Museum National 8 d’Histoire Naturelle New York, USA New York 7.9 Botanical Garden St. Louis, MO Missouri Botanical 6.9 www.knust.edu.gh Garden www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 17  List of Largest Herbaria CITY NAME SPEIMENS (CA MILLIONS) St. Petersburg, Komarov 6 Russia Botanical Institute Geneva, Conservatoire 6 Switzerland et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Geneve Vienna, Austria Naturhistorisches 5.5 www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 Museum Wien MLKMENSAH 18  List of Largest Herbaria CITY CITY NAME NAME SPECIMENS SPECIMENS(CA (CAMILLIONS) MILLIONS) London, London,U.K. U.K. British BritishMuseum Museumof of 5.2 5.2 Natural NaturalHistory History Washington, Washington,D.C. D.C. Smithsonian Smithsonian 5.1 5.1 Institution Institution The TheNetherlands Netherlands The TheNationaal Nationaal 5.5. Herbarium Herbarium Nederland Nederland(NHN) (NHN) www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 19  Some famous Herbaria Royal Botanical Garden at Kew in England is the largest herbarium in the world. It is a World Heritage Site and houses extensive botanic collections of 7,000,000 specimens. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 20  Some important herbaria Ghana has 4 listed herbaria 102,052 The Ghana Herbarium was established in 1948 to support teaching and research in the Department of Botany, University of Ghana at Legon. It has about 90 000 specimens from Ghana and the West African sub-region, including type specimens, some of which date back to 1898. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 21  Some important herbaria The herbarium also contains ancillary collections, including spirit (i.e., plants stored in spirit-filled jars), carpological, and fossil materials. The herbarium is a centre of taxonomic research in Ghana and provides services such as the identification and collection of plant materials for institutions and individuals. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 22  Preparation for Herbarium For the preparation of mounted herbarium- specimens different important steps include: (i) collection of specimens; (ii) making the specimens ready for drying; (iii) drying of specimens; (iv) poisoning of dry specimens; (v) mounting; (vi) labelling; (vii) storing; and (viii) housing www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 23  Preparing for herbarium-tools and equipment Field Press: light-weight portable one, preferably made of wooden plates Driers: Blotting papers, old newsprints Field-Note-Book to record different field data regarding the collected specimens Vasculum or collection bags: polythene bags, easy to use and can carry more specimens but any pressure on the filled bags can damage the specimens. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 24  Preparing for herbarium Small bottles, envelopes, etc.: to collect loose materials Camera: with provision for taking close-up and zoomed pictures is a must GPS: to record the precise location of the study area and/or of the plant Altimeter: to record the altitude of the collection site Maps & colour-charts: very much essential in the field. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 25  Preparing for herbarium Tags: separate string-tags may be used; the collection number as recorded in the FNB that should be written on (preferably with a pencil or with permanent ink) the tag Diggers & Clippers: garden trowel – preferably locally available light-weight metallic digger; also knife or scissors or secateurs for cutting the branches Hand lens: a 10X hand-lens for quick observation www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 26  Preparing for herbarium Other materials may be required during field works and those include (a) liquid preservatives [diluted formalin, FAA, 70% ethanol], (b) waxed paper, (c) trays, (d) first-aid-box, etc. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 27  Plant collection The specimen is collected with notes; herbs and small plants (0,6-0.9 m) entire, lateral branches trimmed off as also some leaves to reduce bulk. The collection should represent all parts of the root system which is dug out not pulled ; rhizomes, stolons and tubers if any, basal leaves www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 28  Collection Large shrubs and trees can be represented by twigs with 3-4 leaves or leaf bases, flowers and fruits. Otherwise notes are made as to how they are attached. Leaf form and sizes on same plant noted. Where male and female flowers exist as single inflorescence or separate they should be collected. Each material should be of a size to fit the size of a herbarium sheet www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 29  Collection Bulky structures e.g. large fruits may be placed whole in cloth bag with numbered tag. Thin sections, TS and LS of the fruits pressed for size and shape. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 30  Collection Fleshy fruits are preferably preserved in liquid while dry fruits are stored in cardboard boxes. Collection may be done in 2 ways: i. into a vasculum- an oval metal box with hinged door and fastenable door occupying most of one side. Ii. Field press- 2 lightweight press frame hinged along one side with 2 short straps and at least one strap around the body to keep it closed and exert pressure on the contents. It has folded newspapers and collected material is inserted directly in the folds in the field. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 31  In the laboratory Heavy Plant-Press: this may be wooden press for limited amount of specimens and heating arrangement may be used Blotters: blotting papers and/or old newsprints Corrugated Aluminium sheets: inserted in regular intervals within the blotters to help in aeration that take out the water-vapour. Hot-Air-Oven: sometimes used to achieve desired level of drying. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 32  A press in use www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 33  In the laboratory Formaldehyde and/or other fixing chemicals: to avoid decomposition of soft plant parts. However, to save formalin sensitive materials those may be kept in boiling water for 12 – 15 seconds, or the plants may be taken in polythene bags and sprayed with enough alcohol for 12 – 24 hours www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 34  In the laboratory Blank Herbarium-mount, Herbarium labels, small paper packets, needle & thread, scissors, wax-paper, etc. –these are required for proper mounting www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 35  Drying This is a crucial stage for herbarium-sheet preparation. Folded blotting papers or newsprints can be used as blotters. At least one leaf is kept to show the lower surface. All the specimens are tagged with a field-number. Changing blotters depends upon the nature of the plant specimen. At the start, with some pressure, changes every day for the first 3 – 4 days and then increased gradually until complete drying. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 36  Drying For drying of huge bulk of specimens, it is essential to use press of corrugated aluminium sheets for proper aeration that helps in the removal of water- vapour and carrying heat into the blotters. The filled frames are then placed over a gentle source of heat in such a way that the warm, dry air passes through the ventilators. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 37  Preservation Poisoning of dried specimens is very important as they are prone to attack by insects and microorganisms so one or more chemicals are used. Many herbaria now Lauryl pentachlorophenate (LPCP), also or phenyl pentachlorophenate. A 3.75 % solution of LPCP in white spirit is used. Bundles of specimens are dipped in it for few minutes and then again dried under pressure. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 38  Mounting The attachment of the preserved plant or plant part to mounting paper. Before mounting commences, the dried specimen and its label is laid on the mounting paper for the position where it is best displayed. Specimens should be so arranged the sheets to lie more evenly in the cabinet. The object of "mounting" botanical specimens is to give them a firm physical support that will allow a reasonable amount of handling with a minimum of damage. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 39  Mounting Temperature sensitive glue is used as adhesive for mounting. Currently, most Herbaria use PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate) glue. In powdered form, it could be dissolved in water and made into a desirable consistency. After drying, the paste is almost permanent and no longer remain water-soluble. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 40  Mounting In traditional practice, the glue is smeared on a clean glass plate and the specimen kept on it. The glue is allowed to smear on the lower surface of the specimen. The specimen is moved slowly from the glass plate and placed on a blank herbarium mount. The sheet is transferred into a folded blotting paper and kept under pressure till dried. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 41  Mounting In some Herbaria specimens are attached to the mount using mounting tape. tapes are used for delicate plant parts Sometimes, some parts of specimens need to fix with the herbarium mount by stitching using needle and strong-durable threads e.g. thick stems, fruits, seeds, etc. are fixed in such manner. A Herbarium label is pasted on the mounted sheet, preferably near the lower-right corner. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 42  Labelling This is also one important part of the entire process. It is generally formatted as per need of the collection. However, some basic data should be on the label. These include: Field number; Date of collection; Place of collection; Name of the plant; Family; www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 43  Labelling Habit; Habitat; Availability; Local name; Some characters those will not be available from a dry specimen, etc. These data recorded in the field-note-book at the time of collection are now transferred to labels. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 44  Storage Generally herbarium-sheets are not inserted in the main Herbarium immediately after preparation. They are commonly stored in a separate wooden or steel cabinet for their immediate use. They are kept in temporary store following alphabetical sequence of family or genus names and transferred to the main Herbarium at an earliest possible date. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 45  Storage Prepared herbarium specimens are finally deposited and inserted in one organized Herbarium. There are a few steps in the process which include: (i) Fumigation of specimens; (ii) Recording in the Herbarium Accession Register; (iii) Putting the sheets in folders for species categories; and (iv) Finally, inserting those folders at proper place in the pigeon-holes of the Herbarium cabinets. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 46  Storage Special arrangement for storing Type specimens is very important as these are yet to be identified. They are therefore kept in specially designed room and cabinet to protect the specimens from any incidence of fire. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 47  Storage Fumigation filling an area with gaseous pesticides or fumigants to prevent possible entry of insects and microbes into the Herbarium. For this, highly controlled Fumigation Chamber is essential. Low temperature refrigerators are commonly used. Bundles of specimens are kept in the refrigerator at below –20° C for 7 – 14 days -a safer technique but takes quite a long time. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 48  Storage The Accession Book/ Register maintains the stock of the sheets stored in a Herbarium. The serial Accession number is then written or printed on the accessed herbarium-sheet. The Accession number of a sheet is its recorded identity. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 49  Storage Recently use of barcode numbers for accession is in use and stored in computers. Use of a barcode reader help the reader to access the data related to a specimen almost immediately. While Accession numbers are printed to the lower left corner of the sheet, the barcode-label is pasted towards the upper-right corner www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 50  Fumigation Regular fumigation of the herbarium is very important as it is prone to the entry of insects and microbes hence the entire herbarium is fumigated using some chemicals. The chemicals include: methyl bromide, phosphine, ethyl oxide, permethrin and pyrethrum. Fumigation also can be done using some common gasses like nitrogen and carbon dioxide. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 51  Fumigation It can also be done by keeping the specimens in 45°C for 2 –3 hours. In freezing method, specimen bundles are kept at –18°C to –30°C at least for 48 hours. Other methods like gamma radiation and microwaves were also used in different herbaria. www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 52  Some References What is an Herbarium? | University of Arizona Herbarium. https://cales.arizona.edu/herbarium/node/1 Preparing a herbarium 8 steps plant taxonomy https://www.biologydiscussion.com/plant- taxonomy/plant-herbarium/preparing-a- herbarium-8-steps-plant-taxonomy/30298 www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 53  Some References Herbaria & Herbarium Specimens - Florida Museum https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herbarium/me thods/herbaria/ Das, A.P. (2021) Herbarium Techniques. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3496408 11 www.knust.edu.gh www.knust.edu.gh 7/25/2024 MLKMENSAH 54