What is a Herbarium?

Herbarium, collection of dried plant specimens mounted on sheets of paper. The plants are usually collected in situ (e.g., where they were growing in nature), identified by experts, pressed, and then carefully mounted to archival paper in such a way that all major morphological characteristics are visible (i.e., both sides of the leaves and the floral structures). The mounted plants are labeled with their proper scientific names, the name of the collector, and, usually, information about where they were collected and how they grew and general observations. The specimens are commonly filed in cases according to families and genera and are available for ready reference.

Herbaria consist of specimens that have been collected over broad geographic ranges and over many years. Multiple samples of individual species collected from different habitats are typically preserved so that variation among individuals can be documented, and related to ecological factors or evolutionary factors. Herbarium and museum collections comprise the basic materials for obtaining information about the world's biodiversity. Herbarium specimens also provide materials for research on variation at the DNA level, genome structure, and gene expression.

Some of the famous Botanical Garden name has been given below-

1.Maymyo: botanical gardens

Botanical gardens in Maymyo, Myanmar.

2.Wollongong Botanical Gardens, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.

3.Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

4.Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pa.

5.Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London,

6.Copenhagen University Botanical Garden

The Palm House at the Copenhagen University Botanical Garden, Denmark.

7.Southeast Botanical Garden, Okinawa

8.Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum

9.The conservatory at the Botanical Garden, Uppsala, Sweden, designed by Louis-Jean Desprez.

See this video for a demonstration of the collection, pressing, and mounting of plant specimens. Take a tour through the largest North American herbarium in this video.