The Botanics looks forward to hosting the next Botanical Society of Scotland's lecture on 26 February featuring Dr Olwen Grace.
Herbaria are curated collections of preserved plant specimens that provide a reference of the plant and fungal kingdoms. Index Herbarium, the international registry of herbaria, lists 4,035 herbaria that collectively house some 406 million specimens, each one representing a record of biodiversity. The motivations for establishing and developing each herbarium are unique, but the broad principle of herbarium curation – maintaining specimens for use in perpetuity – has remained constant for centuries, even as their context, resourcing and use may change.
If herbaria are to fulfil their promise of providing a continuous record of plant diversity over time and geography, however, a more responsive and strategic approach to curation is needed. In this talk, I provide examples from the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh responding to the biodiversity crisis.
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With thanks to the Botanical Society of Scotland for creating this lecture series and welcoming our members to it. You can find out more about BSS here
Venue note: To access the lecture please enter via the Science Buildings main reception, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR and follow the signs to the Lecture Theatre.
Note this is NOT the public entrance to the Gardens.