The General History of Repository of Plant Specimens

Abstract

A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of plant specimens, which are dried, pressed, preserved on sheets, identified and arranged systematically, by family, genus and species, according to some approved system of classification for future reference and study by professionals and amateurs from many walks of life. The herbaria present a picture of the plant world through the representative specimens. It is of enormous practical use and a vital reference when one needs to identify a plant. The previous traditions of making herbarium collection or Hortus sicci have been found in Italy. Luca Ghini and his students were the first botanists who created herbaria around 1532. The idea of maintaining herbarium sheets and bound them into books to preserve them into cabinets was given by Carolous Linnaeus. There are about 3990 recognized herbaria in the world. In India there are 67 recognized herbaria. Herbarium of Royal Botanical Garden, Kew is the world’s greatest herbarium. The Index Herbariorum is a global directory of herbaria published periodically by the International Association for Plant Taxonomy, became available on-line in 1997. Each herbarium in Index Herbariorum is assigned an official acronym (code) that is used as a standard for referring to the institution and its specimens.