Herbarium

Herbarium

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A herbarium is a collection of plant samples and associated data preserved for long-term study. These samples may include pressed and mounted plants or plant parts, seeds, dry and fluid-preserved flowers or fruits, pollen, sections of wood, and frozen plant DNA. The stored samples are referred to as herbarium specimens.

In addition, herbaria (plural for herbarium) also stores and manages botanical data sets, illustrations, photographs and slides, maps, and other relevant literature useful to researchers when studying specimens.

Herbarium specimens are used to study plant taxonomy, geographic distributions, and plant identification. They also serve as a historical record of vegetation changes over time. In some cases, herbaria may contain the only specimens of plants that have become extinct or have mutated due to changes in climate and the impact of humans in their environment.

The Bartlett Arboretum Herbarium is located on the lower level of the Silver Educational Center and holds specimens from as far back as 1887. The herbarium contains vascular plants and bryophytes from all over the world with a concentration in the greater New York City area, southwestern Connecticut, Florida, Puerto Rico, Arizona, and Amazonian Peru. Many of the specimens are native to Connecticut and have been collected from the arboretum grounds.

In 2009, the herbarium received its Index Herbariorum acronym (BART), identifying it as a valuable resource to the research and educational community and supporting and validating the history and mission of the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens.