- The mission of the National Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Garden is to provide institutions, scientists, researchers, students, and other interested parties with a collection of high-quality herbarium specimens of all of Jordan's native flora.
- Our vision is for the Jordanian National Herbarium in the Royal Botanic Garden to become a leading herbarium in the region, with the highest international standards and according to the classification of international botanical gardens.
- A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant samples, usually in the form of dried samples, documented with information related to their scientific name, habitat, source, and date of collection, arranged according to one of the division systems, and used in botanical research. They are stored and preserved as reference materials.
- The herbarium group represents the diversity and distribution of vegetation in the region and its history.
- Plant samples preserved in the herbarium may be whole or parts of plants. Each dried plant is fixed and labeled on archival paper and marked with basic data. Collection data includes a description of the environment, in addition to the name of the collector of the plant sample(s) and the date of collection.
- Herbal samples are stored in closed cabinets in a dry place and are labeled and arranged for easy access.
- Representing all kinds of Jordan's local flora.
- Providing plant samples to researchers and students and providing services for identifying plant samples.
- Cooperation and coordination with existing herbaria in Jordan and the region as a basis for developing a comprehensive national strategy for herbarium.
The Garden’s herbarium was established in the spring of 2006, and at that time the first botanical survey was conducted at the Garden’s site in Tal al-Rumman to identify the plants in it. In the years 2007 and 2008, a group of local and international botanical experts visited the Garden and contributed in collecting and preserving plant samples.
Since that time, a specialized team from the Royal Botanic Garden has been conducting an annual botanical survey in which botanical samples are collected and preserved on site for various plant species
The natural herbarium in the Royal Botanic Garden contains more than (7,200) botanical samples so far, which represent almost half of the number of local plant species in Jordan, arranged by family and genus and according to the classification (APG IV-2016). These samples were collected from wild plants that grow in Jordan, and some of them are from the vicinity of the Garden’s site in Tal Al-Rumman.
In June 2017, the herbarium in the Royal Botanic Garden was officially registered as the national herbarium of Jordan in the largest directory of herbariums in the world, which is the, HERBARIORUM INDEX.
- Plant specimens are collected in the field, categorized and pressed between cardboards to dry;
- After drying, the samples undergo a natural sterilization process to kill any parasites or insect eggs that may be present.
- After that, each sample is kept in the freezer at about -40 °C for two weeks, then classified, and laid onto a white, acid-free paper with all information related to the plant sample.
- While some herbariums use chemicals to sterilize their samples, the Botanical Garden has opted for the deep-freezing method, to protect the samples from damage or discoloration, thus no toxins are used.
Since 2015, samples of small parts of the vegetative system of the plant have been collected, which consists of collecting a small part of the plant and preserving it in silica gel for use in extracting DNA, genetic material, to study the plant species and their genetic fingerprint more accurately in the future.
More than 2,600 plant samples have been collected to date, representing approximately 900 species of Jordanian local plants.
Collecting and drying plants is a wonderful hobby, therefore we offer you some instructions in case you are interested in this hobby. If you dry and store the plant correctly and in the appropriate conditions, these specimens may remain exist for long periods that may reach hundreds of years:
Pressing
- Record observations about some features and characteristics of the plant that will not remain after the drying and preservation process, such as color, overall size, and scent of the plant.
- Place the plant sample between sheets of paper (newspaper) to absorb moisture, then insert several more sheets between the samples.
- Remove large branches, roots, or thick leaves from the sample. Sometimes, weights can be used to ensure the sample remains flat during the drying process.
- Position the plant so both the upper and lower sides of the leaves are visible, and the features of the flowers and their arrangement on the stem are clear.
Drying
- During the drying process, focus on replacing the paper (newspaper) used to dry the plant in the drying press daily for the first two or three days.
- It’s also advisable to open the drying press after the first few hours of pressing to ensure the plant is properly flattened.
- Mounting
- After drying, glue the sample to a board of cardboard using glue or tape.
- Attach a label with its name and collection data with each sample (according to the information provided in the next item).
Labeling
For the dried plant to be useful for future research, there are some important data and information that should be recorded when collecting the plant sample and kept with it, including:
- The name of the collector;
- The location where the sample was collected;
- The date of collection;
- A description of how the sample appeared at the time of collection (size, color, scent, etc.);
- All these details should be noted and documented and kept with the plant.
Storing
- Store your samples in a dry place, and if there are insects on the samples, freeze the dried samples for two weeks to kill them.
- However, please do not over-collect; we need to preserve as many live plants as possible growing in our forests and countryside!
What is the Virtual Herbarium?
The virtual herbarium is an electronic library containing a collection of digital samples of wild Jordanian plants. The wild plant samples collected and preserved in the herbarium section as dried and mounted specimens on cardboard are scanned to create an electronic record that can be referenced. The virtual herbarium represents one of the important research units in the Royal Botanic Garden and is part of the Jordan National Herbarium.
Work on the virtual herbarium started in January 2012, and to date, 982 samples of plant specimens from the Royal Botanic Garden's natural herbarium have been scanned.
Objectives of the Virtual Herbarium:
- To convert as many wild and historical Jordanian plant samples as possible into digital samples, assigning each sample a QR code to preserve and protect Jordan's wild plant life.
- To make these digital plant samples available electronically to a wider audience to facilitate research, studies, and more, with high precision that allows researchers/students/specialists to examine targeted plants in great detail by enlarging the digital image on the website.
- To preserve plant samples, especially older ones collected decades ago, by providing a digital sample, in order to protect the physical samples from damage over the years, which could compromise their features and value.
Mechanism of Scanning Plant Samples in the Virtual Herbarium
- Properly dried, pressed, and preserved plant samples are used, employing a specialized scanner known as a flatbed scanner, which lifts the sample to the scanning surface. This technology was developed to protect the plant samples from being turned upside down, which could lead to damage.
- After completing the scanning process, Photoshop software is used to remove any impurities from the image without affecting the features and details of the plant sample.
- A database for each plant sample is maintained electronically, and scientific names are continuously reviewed according to global classifications and scientific references used by the Royal Botanic Garden.
- According to international standards, samples must be stored with their Latin scientific names, family names, and detailed information about the collection date and location, along with the names of the collectors and identifiers. Each plant sample also has a unique QR code. A ruler bearing the name of the botanic garden and its logo, as well as a color checker, is used.
- For some plant samples used from outside the Royal Botanic Garden, the logo of the institution or the place to which the plant sample belongs is used to protect intellectual property rights.
Cooperation with Other Institutions' Herbaria
- The management of the Royal Botanic Garden believes in the importance of collaborating with local and regional scientific institutions. Cooperation has occurred with the following institutions through scanning their plant samples:
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- National Center for Agricultural Research: A total of 3,009 wild plant samples collected over the years have been converted to digital samples and entered into the database.
- Forestry Department / Ministry of Agriculture: 2,207 plant samples were processed and converted into digital samples.
- Yarmouk University: To date, approximately 3,376 plant samples from the university herbarium have been processed, and work continues to scan the remaining samples.
- Collaboration has also occurred with Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, where training was provided to establish their own virtual herbarium.
