Herbarium

Herbariums are collections of plant specimens, including leaves, flowers and fruit, which have been dried and pressed and then labelled with the scientific name, common names, collection location and other data. In essence a herbarium is a ‘plant library’ which aids in the study of plant biodiversity and helps scientists to classify and identify plants. 

Herbarium specimens record the evolution of a plant species and are used to catalogue biodiversity and record the distribution of plant species. This helps to inform researchers about the environmental changes affecting plants and the actions needed to protect plant species from threatening processes including the impacts of climate change. 

The herbarium in the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden contains over 30,000 plant specimens. The geographic range of these plant specimens is primarily the NSW North Coast region as well as the mountain hinterlands and tablelands. The taxonomic range of plants in the herbarium is mainly vascular plants which includes trees, shrubs and grasses. There is also a historical collection of local native orchids collected by the botanist L.W. Archer and a small collection of mosses and lichens.

The herbarium collection was started in the 1940’s by local botanists and by the staff of State Forests and National Parks. The collection was added to over decades, largely through the efforts of Alex Floyd, an eminent botanist and one of the founders of the Botanic Garden. 

The herbarium collection needs careful management to prevent degradation by insects or mould. This work is undertaken by trained volunteers of the Friends of the Botanic Garden assisted by professional botanists. The Friends also collaborate with botanists from other botanic gardens and with the University of New England N.C.W. Beadle Herbarium. Work is now underway to prepare the herbarium collection database for addition to the Australasian Virtual Herbarium so that the valuable information contained in our collection is made more accessible to researchers in Australia and around the world.

Access to the herbarium collection for scientific study or other special purposes can be organised by contacting the Herbarium Coordinator at: botanyCBG@gmail.com