The analogy between animal and plant specimens is often likened to a three-dimensional "statue" and a flat "photo ID," respectively.
Plant specimens, commonly known as pressed specimens, involve collecting a portion of the plant, including roots, branches, leaves, flowers, or fruits. After pressing, drying, and affixing to paper, they become representative "photo IDs" for plant identity.
To qualify for inclusion in a herbarium, a plant specimen must be not only visually appealing but also well-organized, and it must have an accurate label that contains essential information.
Just as an ID card requires more than a photo, each specimen needs details like collector name, date, location, botanical name, plant height, and habitat.
Only when these details are provided does the specimen hold scientific research value; otherwise, it is merely considered a handicraft.
Specimen Collection - Gathering Raw Materials
The journey of a plant specimen from the natural environment to the herbarium begins with collectors equipped with a set of tools exploring mountains, forests, and plateaus.
The process of collecting plant specimens begins with the observation of the surroundings, comprehension of the habitat's characteristics, and the selection of specimens that accurately represent the plant species found at the site of investigation.
The tradition of making waxy-leafed plant specimens dates back to 16th-century Italy, coinciding with Magellan's global exploration. As the Mediterranean winds carried the craft, it became popular among adventurous travelers fascinated by exotic plants.
After collection, each specimen receives a unique number, ensuring that the same number is not reused for different species.
Precise records are essential for scientific rigor and must include collection site, habitat, elevation, plant description, collector, collection number, and collection date.
During collection, it is crucial to handle scarce and endangered plants with care to prevent excessive collection and destruction.
Care should be taken to preserve attached petioles, axillary buds, and stipules, and to maintain the integrity of compound leaves.
Specimen Production - Processing
Collecting suitable plants is just the beginning. The specimens undergo pressing and drying to maintain their form and color. The process involves meticulous care to prevent parts of the plant from detaching.
Preserving the color and form of live plants is challenging with pressed specimens, leading modern nature museums to use simulation models, plasticized specimens, and photographs for display.
While plant specimens are essential for taxonomy research, their limitations in capturing the full picture of a species make the study of well-preserved waxy leaf specimens crucial.
To address these challenges, a standardized approach to the collection and pressing of plant specimens is necessary. Quality, well-preserved, and annotated specimens hold more value than a large quantity of poor-quality ones.
Tips for Specimen Production
1. General process of waxy leaf specimen production: collection → record keeping → dry pressing or heating and drying → sterilizing and insect treatment → binding → preservation
2. Tools for plant specimen collection:
Collection tools:
Branch shears, scissors, pruning shears, pruning saws, axes, shovels, gloves, and plastic bags for temporary storage.
Photographic equipment:
Altimeter, goniometer, tape measure, and GPS for precise locations.
Botanical specimen preparation tools: Scissors, drying paper, specimen clips, ties, bags, preservation solutions, etc.
