An
herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens used for botanical
research
and reference. These specimens are mostly dried, pressed plants attached
to heavy sheets of paper with labels giving the plant name, collector’s
name, collection number, date and place of collection, and other information
about the plant’s structure or habitat.
The specimens are arranged in groups of related plants and by geographical
area, and housed in insect-proof metal cabinets. A library of books and
articles related to plant identification and classification is also housed
as part of
the collection.
The herbarium plays a central role in the study of plant diversity. It allows
comparison of plants from many parts of the world, from related groups,
from different habitats and from a given area over time. It provides material
for fundamental descriptions of plant form, microscopic study of surface
features or pollen grains, chemical analyses of leaves or flowers, and genetic
(DNA) studies. The specimens are also of general reference value to workers
wishing to identify unknown plants or learn more about the distribution
and variation of particular species.
Researchers conducting genetic and ecological studies deposit voucher specimens
in the herbarium, thus providing permanent documentation of the species
involved in that work. An herbarium is an integral part of teaching and
research programs in the plant sciences and related fields of agriculture.
Many colleges and most universities maintain an herbarium collection, as
do many botanical gardens and natural history museums. Researchers from
different herbaria interact through specimen exchange and loans, as well
as through visits among the institutions.
An
herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens used for botanical
research
and reference. These specimens are mostly dried, pressed plants attached
to heavy sheets of paper with labels giving the plant name, collector’s
name, collection number, date and place of collection, and other information
about the plant’s structure or habitat. 
of
the collection.