Submission of plants to the
MSU Herbarium for taxonomic identification
Plant specimens are routinely identified at the MSU Herbarium. There is no charge for this service provided that plant specimens submitted for identification are of sufficient quality that they could be accessioned into the research collection. The following information is provided to guide in the preparation of a proper herbarium specimen. For more information, contact Matt Lavin (mlavin@montana.edu) or Cathy Seibert (ubics@montana.edu) at the MSU Herbarium, Biology Dept., 408 Lewis Hall, M.S.U., Bozeman, MT 59717. Phone 994-4424.
1. For short grasses,
small flowering herbaceous plants, and low shrubs, collect several entire
plants, including roots, plus extra flowers and/or fruits. Clean debris and
soil from roots.
2. For tall grasses and
shrubs, herbaceous forbs, trees, long vines, collect several samples that
adequately show stem features, leaves and leaf arrangement, and flowers and/or
fruits. Collect extra flowers and/or fruits. If possible, collect or provide
information about underground parts, i.e. roots, rhizomes, bulbs, tubers, etc.
3. Record collection
data and include State, County, geographic location of collection site, habitat
and habit of plant, and date. These should include elevation, habitat, height
of plant, flower color, and other features that may change during the pressing
and drying process. In addition, record the collector's name and a unique
collection number for each collection (a collection represents a particular species
from a distinct locality).
4. Press your plant
specimens in a regular page of newspaper. Open up an issue of newspaper and rip
it apart along the center. I take one sheet with its central fold and put the
plant inside this single-folded sheet. The specimen inside this single
newspaper sheet is then pressed between two corrugated cardboards, which should
measure somewhere in the vicinity of 18" by 12". You don't need felt
blotters in the plant press because in a dry climate like that of Montana's,
blotters will only slow down the drying process unless you change them out
every day, which is labor intensive.
Visit the home page of
Herbarium Supply, which is based out of Bozeman:
http://www.herbariumsupply.com/nu_dynamicIndex.asp
For ordering a plant press and cardboard
from this home page, click on "Categories" then "Pressing
Supplies" then "Presses" or "Ventilators". The wood
frame for a press will cost about $35, whereas 100 cardboards about $54.20.
However, you can reuse the cardboard, and both the wood frame and cardboards
are good for many years. The corrugations run the proper direction to expedite
the drying time of the enclosed specimens.