National Herbarium of Victoria

The National Herbarium of Victoria, founded in 1853, houses approximately 1.2 million preserved specimens of flowering plants, gymnosperms, algae, moss, liverworts, hornworts, lichen and fungi. It contains representatives of the world's flora including many Australian species. The Herbarium is particularly rich in nineteenth century collections, including material from Cook's voyages in the Pacific, Robert Brown's Australian travels, Livingstone's journeys in Africa, and Bourke and Wills' ill-fated expedition to northern Australia.

The Herbarium's collections are used in scientific research. Research areas include biodiversity, classification, evolution, geography, molecular systematics, conservation and horticulture.

The National Herbarium of Victoria was established in 1853. The current building was constructed in 1934 following a generous donation by Sir Macpherson Robertson, founder of the confectionary empire that created the Cherry Ripe chocolate bar and Freddo Frog.

What is a Herbarium?

A Herbarium is a repository for dried plant specimens that are used for studies of plant classification, identification, distribution and ecology. It is like a library but differs in that the information is stored in a biological form. The main resources of a herbarium are the pressed and annotated plant specimens, a botanical library, and the botanists and staff that work there.

Herbarium History

The first Herbarium building was situated on the Domain near the Shrine of Remembrance. It was built in 1861 after Dr Ferdinand Mueller, the first director of the Gardens, repeatedly petitioned the government for space to house his collection of 45,000 specimens. The new building had room for 160,000 specimens, and this was filled in the first year. It was in use until 1934 when it was demolished to build the Shrine. The collection was transferred into the present building completed in 1934 as a gift to the state from Sir Macpherson Robertson to mark the Centenary of Melbourne.

An extension was completed in 1989 and holds the entire collection on the ground and first floor. The library is situated on the second floor.

Herbarium Specimens

Over 400 years ago people discovered that if freshly cut plant specimens were dried while pressed between two absorbent surfaces they retain the majority of their characteristics. These dried specimens, in conjunction with some recorded details about the plant, make a Herbarium specimen. The information without the plant, or the plant with out the information, is of little value. A good example of a label will include:

• the botanical name followed by the authority (person credited with naming the species) 
• Locality: a description in plain words of the location from which the sample was collected.
• Latitude, Longitude: to the nearest minute of the collection site.
• Collector: the collector's name, collection number and the date of collection.
• Notes: anything that is not apparent from the sample, such as size and habit, bark type, colour of flowers and fruits, shape of soft fruits and scent of flowers. Also ecological notes such as aspect and slope, associated plants, abundance, soils and geology.

Most specimens are pressed, dried, and have accompanying field notes attached before they reach the herbarium. The name is verified by Royal Botanic Gardens Botanists, the label data are databased and a label bearing a unique barcode is generated. The specimen is then placed in a deep freeze for 7 days. The freezer runs at -21C and kills any insects present in the plant sample. The Herbarium collection is a quarantine area. No plant material of any kind can enter without passing through the freezer.

The combination of pressed plant and accompanying name and field notes enables a large amount of information to be stored in a very small space. A well collected, pressed and annotated herbarium specimen (displaying foliage, flowers, fruits etc.) is almost as good a source of information as the original living plant. For practical purposes it has many advantages over the living plant. It is cheap to prepare, durable, mobile, and if stored correctly, practically permanent.

Sometimes when the three dimensional shape of the specimen is required for its identification, as in the Orchidaceae family, a spirit collection may be made. A spirit collection is a collection of plant material stored in a jar in a solution of 70% ethanol, 25% water, 5% glycerol. This spirit collection usually accompanies a pressed specimen and is given the same collection number.

Access to the Collections

Specimen Information

The collections of the National Herbarium of Victoria can be accessed through Australia's Virtual Herbarium. Requests for detailed information are serviced at the discretion of the National Herbarium of Victoria and charges apply. Requests should be sent to the Collections Manager .

Loan of Specimens

The National Herbarium of Victoria participates in a loan program with recognised herbaria around the world. Specimens are loaned for the purpose of taxonomic research. Those wishing to loan specimens from the National Herbarium of Victoria will need to abide by the Herbarium's Conditions of Loan. Loan requests should be sent as formal letters addressed to the Collections Manager .

Visitors to the Collection

The National Herbarium of Victoria is not open to the public. Access for bona fide researchers is by prior appointment with the Collections Manager only. If researchers wish to use the Library a separate appointment should be made.

References and further reading

Albrecht, D. (1993). Collecting and preserving Herbarium specimens. Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, South Yarra.

Bridson, D. and Forman, L. (1992). The Herbarium Handbook: Revised Edtion. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Kew.

Cohn, H. (2003). 150 years: the National Herbarium of Victoria, 1853-2003. Muelleria 17: 3-14.

Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands (1985). Herbarium Extensions, Planning Study and environmental effects statement, Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands, Melbourne.

Lumley, P. and Spencer, R. (1991). Plant Names. A guide to botanical nomenclature. Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, South Yarra.

Pescott, R.T.M. (1982). The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, A history from 1845 to 1970. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

A close-up view of three of the unique specimens held in the National Herbarium of Victoria. From top to bottom; Livistona australis (Australian cabbage palm), Dasya extensa (a red seaweed) and Nymphaea violacea (water lily).