Event: Preserving Botanical Specimens; Herbaria Skills

The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland are delighted to host this webinar by Chris Metherell (botanist, former BSBI President, VCR and Euphrasia referee), about tips and techniques for pressing botanical samples that can be contributed to a herbarium or collection, or sent to a species referee like himself for verification.

There will be opportunity for attendees to ask Chris questions, so please come along with your queries ready.

A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens that are typically dried, pressed, and mounted on sheets of paper. Herbaria (plural of herbarium) are a vital resource and are used for scientific research, education, and to inform conservation. They're often housed in botanical gardens, universities, and museums, and serve as reference libraries of plant biodiversity and distribution.

You can also read more about herbaria and what kind of information is captured in a speciment here. We also have a number of other webinars and videos that discuss herbaria here on our YouTube channel, if you'd like to get more familiar with the topic before our talk with Chris.