The National Herbarium | What is a Herbarium? | Our Herbarium Collection | Type Specimens | National Virtual Herbarium
If you collect a plant specimen today, it can last for hundreds of years if properly dried and stored in the right conditions. Collecting and drying plants is a fascinating hobby, so we thought we'd give you a few guidelines to get you started.
However, please do not overcollect. We need to keep as many live plants growing in our woods and countryside as possible!
For a dried plant to be useful for future research, a number of important bits of data must be recorded and kept with the specimen. These include:
All these details must be written down and kept with the plant.
Pressing
Take notes about features that will not be preserved on the dried specimen, such as colour, overall size, and smell of the plant. Surround the specimen with a first sheet of paper (flimsy), and then place several more sheets (drying papers) between each specimen.
Pad out bulky branches or roots with screwed up paper. Apply heavy weights, to make sure that the plant remains flat while it dries.
Lay out the plant in way that shows both the top and the bottom side of leaves, and as many features of the flowers and their arrangement on the stem as possible.
Drying
The best way is to approach this process is to dry out the drying papers rather than the plant.
Put sheets of newspaper on top of radiators or other hot surfaces until they get so dry that they crackle when touched. Then, exchange these for the sheets in your drying press daily for the first 2 or 3 days.
Also, it is best to open the press after the first few hours to rearrange the now wilted plant so that you can make sure it is well laid out.
Mounting
After drying, glue, tape or sew your specimens to a thin sheet of cardboard. Attach a label and the collection data. For mosses, lichens and some fungi, you would place them in a folded packet or envelope and attach that to the cardboard.
Storing
Store your specimens in a dry place. Freezing your dried specimens for 2 weeks will kill insects if they attack your specimens.
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How to dry flowers for home and school craft projects
If you want to dry and press flowers for craft projects, such as decorating place mats, greeting cards, candles, lampshades or sun catchers, you can get very good results using a flower press. Here's what to do: