Brief introduction about Herbarium and its importance

1. HERBARIUM OF
Leaf of Manilkara zapota
(Sapodilla)
Course Name: Fundamentals of Biological Science
Course Code: ENV - 1103
Presented by
Mirza Maisha Maliha
Student Roll No: 18531003
Department of Environmental Science, Session 2017-18
Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)

2. Objectives
 Brief introduction about Herbarium and its importance
 To demonstrate the Spatula and needle method of
herbarium preparation in light of the present study
 To illustrate the difficulties faced during the preparation of
the herbarium
 Discussion on theoretical learning and practical works

3. Presentation Outline
 Introduction
 Specimen selection and collection
 Preparation method
 Final outcome
 Difficulties faced
 Conclusion

4. Introduction
 A herbarium is a collection of preserved
plant specimens and associated data used for
scientific study
 Specimens are usually-
• Collected in-situ, allowed to dry
• Mounted on sheets of paper
• Keeping major morphological features
visible
o Identification of plants
o Plant taxonomy
o Repository for voucher specimens (ecology,
environmental studies, etc.)

5. Specimen Selection and Collection
1. Reasons for selecting Sapodilla as a specimen for herbarium
 Highly drought resistant
 Can withstand salt spray
 Easy availability
 The smoothness and flexibility of the leaves are suitable
for being fixed to the paper
2. The specimen was collected from Magura, Bangladesh, on
17th March 2018.

6. Preparation method
Spatula and needle method
1. Data collection
A. Soil type: Sandy loam
B. Topography: Plain land
C. Vegetation: Cultural
Location, date, habitat, associated species, plant features etc.
2. Equipment used
Scissors, gummed tape, spatula, needle, hard board, hard paper, cellophane paper, weights,
forceps.
3. Steps associated
A. Specimen let to dry under ordinary temperature
B. Rough sketch of the herbarium sheet and orientation of the plant specimen
C. Gluing the specimen using spatula and angled needle

7. D. Application of weights
 Not excessively heavy
 Surfaces of the weights are smooth
E. Flip over test
 To confirm the stability of the specimen
F. Wrapping with cellophane paper
 For better look
 Also ensuring better preservation

8. Final outcome
Basic
Information
Collector’s
Identity
Hard
board
Dried
specimen
attached

9. Difficulties faced
1. During collection:
 Investigation at jungle areas often invites threat (insects, animals,
etc.)
 Accessibility to random places are sometimes difficult for girls
2. During preparation
Dry specimen is tough to handle
Maintaining the alignment is difficult

10. Conclusion
The project has enabled us to build better concepts on the theoretical learning. However, we have
become able to find the margins between theoretical and practical aspects.
In our country the prospects of Environmental Studies are increasing, the concept of preparing
Herbarium on a large scale can greatly accelerate the research fields and thereby bring better
outcome for the environment.