#herbariumlife — Public Fediverse posts

Old #herbarium sheets come with perks and challenges. I love to figure out what is written. For this particularly hard example, I got lucky because the collection was cited with the old species name in an old paper. It's "An der Lesum bei #Vegesack" in #Bremen, Germany. Could you have deciphered it?

The label is written in German #Kurrentschrift, an old style of handwriting. The long s in "Lesum" and the V and the k in Vegesack are unusual, and the first e rather looks like an "a". But there is no alternative at the Lesum river. Johann Otto Boeckeler is known to have collected in NW Germany.

#HerbariumLife #CuratorLife

The harmonious regularity of the inflorescence of this #Earina valida #orchid from #NewCaledonia is beautiful, even in a #herbarium specimen. The plant must look spectacular in nature. #HerbariumLife #CuratorLife

Finding herbarium specimens in a large collection is not trivial. Specimens are stored under a scientific name, often called filed-as name, and arranged according to their higher taxonomy, i.e. families and orders. The filed-as name is preferably the correct name (under taxonomic rules and according to the latest taxonomic treatments). However, changes happen(ed) often and quickly, and it is impossible to keep large collections always up-to-date. Some plant groups need to be looked at by specialists, some plant groups are heavily disputed by taxonomists so a curator cannot make a consensus. An Index that lists the genera of all filed-as names and also known synonyms is therefore necessary to guide visitors and curators alike to the specimen in demand.

After around ten years, the Index to the General Herbarium at the NHM London received a major update. It now includes the gymnosperms (pines, junipers, Welwitschia, ephedras etc.) that were forgotten before, and reflects major recuration projects, such as the complete overhaul of the Asparagales (asparagus, lilies, snowdrops, smilax) and the Vitaceae (wine), and many many small updates, corrections, and additions.

#CuratorLife #HerbariumLife

This is a #grass‽ From giant bamboos to maize and the common lawn ryegrass, #Poaceae can be quite variable. #Panicum cupressifolium from #Madagascar has minute leaves, making it look like a #cypress (hence the name).
#IAmABotanist #HerbariumLife #CuratorLife

In the past, #herbaria were bound volumes. Some had beautiful arrangements and even drawings of vases from which the plants would appear to be in.
At the NHM London, we have bound volumes by the Liberato Sabbati, curator of the Rome botanical garden in the mid 1700s. #CuratorLife #HerbariumLife

#Herbarium specimens often lose their colours and turn brownish. But sometimes colours persist, especially when material was dried quickly.
This #Anemone sends a colourful spring greeting from the NHM London on a grey February day.
#HerbariumLife #CuratorLife

What a massive #poppy #flower on a new specimen from the NHM London 😳 This #Papaver orientale is huge with 16 cm/7" in diameter.
#CuratorLife #HerbariumLife

A scientific request to search for specimens in the genus #Cinnamomum couldn't have come at a better time. Even after decades since collecting, the specimens still have a slight scent of #cinnamon and #clove. 🤩 #PumpkinSpice and #gingerbread are in the air! #HerbariumLife #CuratorLife

Surreal! The red folders are #type specimens at #NaturalHistoryMuseumLondon. [Type specimens are the very definition of a species and therefore really important]. The red shelf contains the NHM's collections of #Stelis #orchids from the region 23 (Tropical South America).
#HerbariumLife #CuratorLife

One wouldn't mount #herbarium specimens like this anymore, but this one from #NHMLondon does have an artistic appeal.
#MastoArt #ModernArt #HerbariumLife #CuratorLife @museum

Mistakes happen, even in a great #herbarium. It is a bit unfortunate though if specimen labels were switched accidentally and both specimens are types. 😬😳
But great if one can figure that problem out. 😁

#HerbariumLife #CuratorLife