Table of Contents

Introduction I. A brief history on plant collections, collectors and herbaria II. Collecting, Pressing, and Mounting Scientific Plant Specimens 1. What, when and how to collect a. Materials needed for the field b. What makes a good specimen? i. Seasons and reproductive parts ii. Plant parts and habitat considerations for keying iii. Specimen collection information, photos, and DNA c. Responsible Collecting - Following best collecting practices i. Agreements ii. Permits iii. Cultural considerations iv. Responsible collecting v. The value of a photo, GPS coordinate and DNA vi. When not to collect 2. Pressing and Drying a. Materials needed b. Special cases (aka succulents, cones, large specimens) 3. Mounting a. Materials needed b. How to mount a good specimen, and how to save a bad one c. How to make a collection label 4. How to identify your specimen a. Paper resources b. On-line resources c. How to approach taxonomy and keying 5. Organizing and Cataloguing your Collections a. Organizing for Reference (and eventual donation) b. Storing for Preservation –freezing, dermestids and storage c. Electronic Data d. Pictures e. DNA Reference and Resources Appendix Index

About the Author

Linda P.J. Lipsen is the collections curator at the University of British Columbia Herbarium at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. Linda holds an M.Sc. in botany and has previously worked for the UBC Botanical Garden and taught in UBC’s Department of Botany. Derek Tan is the digital media specialist at the at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.