Our Objective

To prepare the herbarium sheet of flowering plants.

The Theory

Flowering Plants 

About 300,000 species of flowering plants, known as angiosperms, are the biggest and most diverse group in the kingdom of Plantae. The ovary which is the portion of an angiospermous plant that contains the male or female reproductive organs, or both, is typically enclosed in a flower. 

There are three components that make up the basic angiosperm body. They are roots, stems, and leaves. A plant's vegetative or non-reproductive body is made up of these plant bodies. 

Herbarium 

A herbarium is a collection of labelled, pressed, and dried plant specimens used in scientific research. A classification scheme is used to arrange the specimens. These are used to identify plants. Plant locations, habitat, abundance, and flowering and fruiting periods are all described in detail. 

• Collection of specimens is the first step in preparing a herbarium specimen. 
• To dry, the specimen is spread out on a blotting sheet and placed in the press. 
• After that, the herbarium sheet is mounted with the dry specimen. A fungicide of 2% Mercuric Chloride is used to preserve the material as well as pesticide like DDT, Naphthalene is also used. It is then eventually stored after being properly labelled. 

Collecting Plant Specimens 

Uses of Herbarium 

• Herbarium provides resource material for systematic research and studies. 
• It is a place for orderly arrangement of voucher specimens or preserved specimens 
• Voucher specimen serves as a reference for comparing doubtful newly collected fresh specimens. 
• Voucher specimens play a role in studies like floristic diversity, environmental assessment, ecological mechanisms, and survey of unexplored areas. 
• Herbariums offer the chance to record biodiversity and conduct research in ecology and conservation biology. 

Learning Outcomes  

• Students understand the preparation of herbarium sheet of flowering plant. 
• Students understand the concept of angiosperms used to prepare herbarium sheets.  
• Students understand the uses of the herbarium.