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INTRODUCTION
Ethiopia is found in the horn of Africa and located between 3º and 15ºN latitude and 33º
and 48ºE longitudes. The country encompasses various agro-ecological zones with
different topographic features, including rugged mountains, river valleys and alpines
(IBC, 2009). The great altitudinal variation, ranging from 126 m above sea level in the NE
(at Dalol Depression/Kobat Sink) to 4530 (4620) m a.s.l. at Ras Dejen that resulted in the
presence of diverse vascular plants in the country (IBC, 2009). Botanical study,
exploration and documentation of the flora in Ethiopia has been the focus of the National
Herbarium (ETH), Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management at Addis
Ababa University.
The National Herbarium (ETH) was established in 1959 as part of the Department of
Biology, Addis Ababa University. It is the basis for botanical research, plant exploration
and the write-up of the Flora. In the past one decade, the structural changes and expansion
of the units and departments undertaken at Addis Ababa University has resulted in break
up of the former Department of Biology into three departments, and the National
Herbarium has been part of the Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity
Management since 2010. The National Herbarium completed the write-up of the Flora of
Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2009, and its has since been actively engaged in the curation of its
specimens including digitization.
Modernizing and Digitizing
The National Herbarium(ETH)
Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management
College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University
REFERENCES
CONCLUSIONS
The National Herbarium is striving to expand its research, education and community
outreach in the field of botanical sciences. In the last three decades, it made a lot of
accomplishments, particularly in completing the write-up of the Flora. In order to
maintain its momentum in botanical research, and upgrading its working mechanisms into
a digital or virtual herbarium, it requires technical and financial support.
ABSTRACT
Botanical research started with the establishment of the Department of Biology in 1950s
with the establishment of the Herbarium (which was named as the University College
Herbarium) in 1959; now it is called the National Herbarium (ETH). The National
Herbarium is the biggest and oldest Herbarium in the country where the country’s Flora
(as Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea) was published, on which other botanical research has
mainly been based. The Flora of Ethiopia Project was started in 1980 through the united
effort and support from Addis Ababa University and the Ethiopian Science and
Technology Commission (now Ministry of Science and Technology) in Ethiopia in
cooperation with the Department of Systematic Botany of Uppsala University in Sweden,
financially supported from the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing
Countries (SAREC), which is now part of the Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea Project was completed in
2009 and resulted in the publication of eight Flora volumes with ten books. In these, about
6,027 vascular plant species with 10% endemism have been documented. These plant
species are grouped into four vascular plant groups (lycopodiophytes, pteridopytes,
gymnosperms and angiosperms), which comprise 243 families (Ensermu Kelbessa and
Sebsebe Demissew, 2014). The National Herbarium houses more than 100,000 plant
specimens, of which about 400 are type specimens. The types and the specimens of
invasive plant specimens were digitized in collaboration with the financial and material
support provided by the Global Plants Initiative (GPI). Now, the National Herbarium is in
the process of replacing all its old wooden cabinets/cupboards with metal space-saving
compactor, and is planning to digitize all its specimens. This poster presents the activities
of the National Herbarium (ETH) and its future plan to digitize its collections.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM (ETH)
1. Publication of Flora Volumes
Volume Families No. of
Genera
No. of Species
(including
subspecies)
Year of Publication
3 Pittosporaceae – Araliaceae 274 1162 1989
7 Poaceae (Gramineae) 156 609 1995
2, Part 2 Canellaceae – Euphorbiaceae 130 724 1995
6 Hydrocharitaceae – Arecaceae 173 793 1997
2, Part 1 Hydrocharitaceae – Arecaceae 173 793 1997
4, Part 1 Magnoliaceae – Flacourtiaceae +
Appendix
217 651 2000
4, Part 2 Asteraceae (Compositae) 133 472 2004
5 Gentianaceae – Cyclocheilaceae 244 991 2006
1 Lycopodiaceae – Pinaceae +
Appendix
87 212 2009
8 General part and index to Volumes
1-7
2009
Source: Ensermu Kelbessa & Sebsebe Demissew, 2014
2. Capacity Building
The National Hebarium provides:
• Training for undergraduate, MSc and PhD students;
• Short term plant identification training for government institutions;
• Material and educational support for newly established
government universities; and
• Voucher specimens to new herbaria in the country.
Figure 1: Volumes (and parts) of Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea
3. Database and Digitizing Herbarium Specimens
The National Herbarium has been working very closely with the major
herbaria in Africa, Europe and America since the commencement of the
Flora Project in 1980. Through the support of the Global Plant Initiative
(GPI), the Herbarium digitized:
• Type specimens; and
• Specimens of Invasive Alien Species.
4. Modernizing and Restructuring the National Herbarium
Old cabinets New cabinets
Figure 2: The National Herbarium Cabinets