Transcript Chapter 17 Plant Collecting and Documentation

Plant Collecting and Documentation
Michael G. Simpson
Collections:
Samples of plants
Dried or liquid preserved.
Kept alive, grown in greenhouse or garden
Why collect?
1) Provide resource material for plant
systematics studies.
2) Serve as a reference collection for named
taxa, known as a voucher specimen.
a) Type specimen in formal naming
b) Reference for the identity of a taxon
-in systematic studies
-in field studies, e.g., floristic surveys
3) Provide information about the plant in a
native habitat: put info. in database
How does one:
1) Obtain a specific plant(s) for a research study
- Use label information from herbarium
specimens to find localities
- Use maps to find likely habitats
2) Do a complete inventory of plants for a field
survey or floristic study?
- Collect and identify every plant in a region
during different seasons and different years.
- Note: Permission / permits needed!
Should you collect? What to collect?
Generally DON’T collect “listed” taxa:
rare, endangered, or threatened
Must know ahead of time which these are!
When you collect, use “1 to 20” rule:
– For every herb you collect, make sure there
are at least 20 in the population.
– For every branch of a shrub or tree, make
sure there are at least 20 more.
How to collect?
Herbs: Must dig up at least one entire plant to
show root or rootstock (e.g., corm, bulb, rhizome)
Shrubs, trees, vines: One branch sufficient.
Collect a representative specimen that shows
vegetative and reproductive parts (in flower, fruit,
cone, with sporangia, etc.)
How to collect?
Press plants:
Portable field press used in field
Transfer to standard herbarium press
1) Fold to fit ca. 11.5” x 16.5”; fill up area
2) Cut to fit & to prevent too much overlap; slice
rootstocks; slice flowers, fruits to show morph.
3) At least one leaf up, one down
4) Collect extra material, if possible.
5) Divide into 2 or more sheets, if necessary.
6) Succulents: cut out tissue, soak in alcohol
Plant Press
Cardboards: ca. 12” x 18”
Newspaper, ca. 11.5” x 16.5”
Tighten straps
Place in plant drier,
2-3 days
Remove and check if dry
(if it feels cool, not dry)
Collection Data
Collection Data
Importance of recording color, even of pollen grains!
Liquid-Preserved Collections
Anatomy, embryology, palynology, etc.:
FAA (Formalin - Acetic Acid - Alcohol (ethanol)
Cytology (chromosome numbers):
Carnoy’s (100% ethanol : glacial acetic acid)
Ultrastructure:
Gluteraldehyde, osmium tetroxide, formalin
Living Collections
Grow in greenhouse or botanic garden
Valuable for long-term studies
Collections for Molecular Studies
DNA: dried in silica gel
Allozymes: fresh material