CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The name ‘Herbarium’ [Herbaria in plural] as named by Luca Ghini is referred to one or more
rooms or a building where the mounted and labeled herbarium-sheets are stored systematically.
In fact, it is a museum but referred as ‘Herbarium’ as it stores such specific type of specimens
only. Generally an accepted system of plant classification is followed for the arrangement of
specimens in a series of ‘Herbarium cabinets’. A herbarium is also a repository, a facility
designed to ensure long-term preservation of scientific plant samples, generally referred to as
specimens. Herbaria, like other natural history collections, are immense primary data repositories
documenting biodiversity across space and time over the last 500 years (Stefanaki et al., 2019).1
The most meaningful analogy is to a library; herbaria are plant libraries, with the specimens
corresponding to the pages in books. Most herbaria are under the aegis of an academic
institution, museum or botanical garden. The dried and mounted plant samples are generally
referred to as herbarium specimens, Each specimen is an immense source of information that can
tell us what plants look like; where they are found; what environmental niche they occupy;
which species are threatened with extinction; what morphological and chemical variation occurs;
and, when they flower or produce seed, we can even extract DNA from them to study
relationships and evolutionary processes. There are few collections of pressed specimens of
plants embracing the wide range of horticulture and there should be more of them. Collectors
should learn to make excellent specimens, and there are reasons why excellent specimens are
needed.

1.2 Statement of Problem

The already constructed herbarium in the biology laboratory of science laboratory Technology
department is old and the specimens are destroyed by termites, rodents and other pests, Due to
this there's need for rehabilitation to collect new plant specimens, introduction of new plant
specimens that are classified properly for future references. Also, to enhance effective teaching
and learning of plants in the surroundings

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1.3 Justification of the Study

This research will help to serve as research conservation, information and education tools. It
promotes appreciation of botanical diversity by making specimens available for viewing by
students, researchers, and the public and providing an updated herbarium in the biology
laboratory of Science Laboratory Technology department.

1.4 Aim of the Study

The aim of this study is to collect specimens for rehabilitation of the herbarium at the science
laboratory Technology department of Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, State.

1.4 .2 Objective of Study

The objectives of this work are to:

 Identification of plant specimens;

 Collection of plant specimen located in Ilaro;

 Preparation of collected plant specimens;

 Drying of collected plant specimens;

 Mounting plants specimens;

 Labeling plants specimens;

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Herbarium

Herbarium is a facility that holds the official collection of pressed plants specimen of a region in
which each plant is passed, dried and mounted to make an herbarium specimen.rly. However,
originally, the word Herbarium referred to a book of such mounted specimens of medicinal
plants (Stearn, 1957; Bridson & Forman, 1998).Herbariums are the natural history museums
storing and displaying specially mounted dried and poisoned plant specimens meant for
numerous scientific and social benefits. The article discussed the methods of herbarium-sheet
preparation starting from plant collection leading to the final storage, maintenance and
utilization. Some special techniques like color preservation in herbarium-specimens and the
digitization of herbariums are also discussed with details of some easily applicable methods.
Herbaria round the world are recording the planet’s plant diversity and the people of future
generations will be enriched about the lost plants of the world as the rate of extinction of species
is increasing very fast. Herbariums are the natural history museums storing and displaying
specially mounted dried and poisoned plant specimens meant for numerous scientific and social
benefits. Some special techniques like color preservation in herbarium-specimens and the
digitization of herbariums are also discussed with details of some easily applicable methods.
Herbaria round the world are recording the planet’s plant diversity and the people of future
generations will be enriched about the lost plants of the world as the rate of extinction of species
is increasing very fast. A herbarium is a "Hortusiccus" or "dry garden" and is used for study by
botanists and students; they want as good material as possible to study.[A herbarium] is like a
reference library and it enables a nurseryman to keep his stock true to name" (Deepak Yadav 97).
Plants are often collected in far-off places and sent thousands of miles away from where
collected to be studied and correctly named. Such a study may be carried on many years later
than when the collection was made so that the best kind of dried plants are necessary. These
collections could be made in triplicate, so that sets could be lent to other clubs. Interesting items
might even be found that would be of value to large herbaria, such as Harvard’s Gray, Herbarium
3
which has over 5,000,000 specimens and the New York Botanical Garden with over 7,000,000
specimens. The use of Herbarium is linked to a large number of fields of study including
morphology, taxonomy, ethno botany, pharmacology, biochemistry, cytology, genetics,
molecular biology, material science, ecology, conservation, plant pathology, plant breeding and
physiology (Metsger & Byers, 1999).

2.2 Herbarium Specimens

Herbarium specimens are plants that have been collected and preserved for scientific
analyses.4This is a method of preservation of voucher specimens for vascular plants, i.e. for
pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms. However, sometimes, for some non-vascular
plants also specimens are preserved in this manner (Thiers, 2017). For this a twig or one entire
small plant is collected and dried in a plant-press keeping within the blotters, poisoned and then
mounted on a strong paper board, commonly referred as ‘herbarium sheet’ using adhesive glue.
The standard size of herbarium sheet is 29 × 43 cm (Woodland, 1997). One ‘Herbarium Label’ is
attached generally to its lower right corner to record different data related to that particular
specimen. 4

Specimens include:

 Pressed and Dried Plants;

 Dried Plants;

 Plants Preserved in Alcohol-Glycerin or Formalin Solution;

 Plants Preserved in Rocks4

2.3 Origination of Herbaria

Apparently Herbarium originated from Italy in the 14th century by Luca Ghinni (1490-1556). Up
till 1820s,the herbaria herbalist and of nearly all botany consisted into books of black pages.One
major herbaria is the herbarium in the university of Ibadan which has over 27,000 plants
specimens while the Missouri botanical garden and Royal botanical garden in kew London has
one of the best dried plants collection in the world . At the beginning herbarium-sheets were
bound as book-like volumes, later on with the increase of collections and for easy handling
4
sheets were kept free like reference cards. Gradually, earlier alphabetical arrangements were
replaced by accepted taxonomic classifications to trace a specimen easily and to understand their
relationships. This also helps in easy maintenance of the Herbarium5.

2.4 Why Preserve Plant Specimens?

Herbarium specimens are a vital resource because they store a wealth of information. They are
utilized by faculty, staff and students in universities, colleges and other research institutions; by
personnel from government agencies and conservation organizations; and the general public.
Collectively herbarium specimens are analyzed for studies in taxonomy, systematic, floristic,
ecology, phrenology, conservation, and global environmental change (Funk, 2003; Calinger et
al.,2013; Willis et al., 2017; Lang et al., 2019; Albani Rocchetti et al., 2021).

2.4.1 Taxonomic research: which are preparation of monographs and revisions, and floras,
manuals that provide species descriptions, aid in identification, and document occurrence.
Specialists utilize collections to document the range of variation that characterizes individual
species, so that species can be accurately circumscribed in descriptions. For example, the
collections are routinely consulted by taxonomists preparing treatments for the multi-volume
Flora of North America.

2.4.2 History: retrace itineraries of early naturalist; track down early place names; determine
historic plant ranges.

2.4.3 Rare plant lists: Specimens have been the primary source of data for the Iowa
Administrative Code lists of Endangered and Threatened Plant Species published in 1977, 1984,
1986, 1988 and 1994.

2.4.4 Identification of unknown plant: which include macro-fossils and anthropological

remains, by making comparisons with identified specimens? Collections are routinely consulted
because many species cannot be confidently identified on the basis of comparison with a line-
drawing or photograph. Many automatic identification studies focus on recognition from leaves
alone (Wijesingha and Marikar, 2012; Nasir et al., 2014; Unger et al., 2017.

2.4.5 Generating a search image: Even though specimens are altered because they have been
pressed and dried, they are useful for getting a mental image of the general size and appearance
5
of a plant that one never has seen, but wishes to find. This is useful for finding new records of
rare species.

2.4.6 Locality and ecological information: The locality data recorded on specimen labels is a
resource for those who wish to see a particular species in its natural habitat, or for those who
would like to see an example of a particular type of habitat. Ecological information on specimen
labels is useful for getting an idea of the type of habitat to search for a particular species.

2.4.7 Voucher specimens: Some specimens are deposited specifically for the purpose of
documenting research. 'Type' specimens, the original specimen(s) that are the basis for
descriptions of new species, are the permanent record of the entity that was described. No
matters what the original description says, it is the identity of this specimen that determines what
the name represents. Researchers whose studies are not specimen-based (for example,
physiologists or geneticists) nevertheless utilize voucher specimens to document the subject of
their investigations. If questions arise about the identity of the organism, the voucher can be
examined to check the validity of the original identification.6

2.5 Purpose of Herbarium

The main intention for this rehabilitation is to reduce the difficulties of identification of plants

and help in the conservation of the environment and eco-system.

The purposes of the research work are listed below:

 To collect and preserve plant for instructional aide.

 Identification and classification of plants specimen.

 To make federal polytechnic Ilaro a research resources center.

 To identify plant macro-morphological character.

 To record all plants specimen.

 Storage of plants specimen.

6
2.6 Uses of Herbarium

The use of Herbarium is linked to a large number of fields of study including morphology,
taxonomy, ethno botany, pharmacology, biochemistry, cytology, genetics, molecular biology,
material science, ecology, conservation, plant pathology, plant breeding and physiology (Metsger
& Byers, 1999). Bridson and Forman (1998) summed up the services of a herbarium as:

 How plants can be recognized – i.e. Identification

 How they can be named in order to transfer information about those plants – 7i.e
nomenclature

 To trace the close relatives of a useful plant as those might have similar properties – i.e.
Classification

 Locating the areas of their occurrence – i.e. Distribution

 Understanding their habitat preference – i.e. Ecology

 To know their useful properties – i.e. Uses

2.7 Importance of herbarium

The herbarium is used as a repository for the study of plants specimen. Herbarium provides
instant referrals in taxonomical studies. They also give histological and geographical information
about different plant species. It serves as the source of information of the flora of any region.
Based on its arrangements and labeling it helps in confirming the identity of a plant. It serve as
the source of plant DNA for use in taxonomy and molecular systematic. Herbarium serves as an
educational tool for the public. It reveals the morphology and anatomy of individuals of a
particular species in different regions.

2.8 Use of Herbarium in Biodiversity and Conservation

Biodiversity means the variety and variability of all living organism from all sources including
terrestrial, marine and other aquatic systems and the ecological complexes of which they are
apart, this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystem. Authentic
identification of species is pre-requisite for formulation and implementation of any research and
7
management projects. Herbarium has invaluable role in correct identification of species and it is
a databank for the biodiversity. Herbarium of the Forest Research Institute internationally
known, as the Dehradun Herbarium (DD) is the only herbarium in the country engaged in
survey, collection and identification of forestry species. The herbarium serves an important
role as a ready reference for rare and threatened plant diversity of the country. This article
briefly brings out the role and importance of herbarium, its digitization in biodiversity
conservation. The Herbarium is a scientific collection composed by plants samples proceeding
from several ecosystems. It provides a record and a reference about flora from a specific region.
Herbarium serves as a tool for conserving the biodiversity in terms of scientific studies, applied
research and activities, education and training. The use of herbarium will help conserve
biodiversity are under the threat of extinction. It also preserves information on biodiversity data.

8
 CHAPTER THREE

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Materials needed for collection of plant specimens

They include: knife, digger, plastic and sacks, notebook, pruning shears, cutlass.

3.1.1 Materials for pressing of plant specimens

Newspaper/pressing paper, plant press consist of a frame (typically wooden, for rigidity),markers
to write on the pressing paper/newspaper (so the plant specimens don’t mix up),strap with buckle
or bolts to tighten the plant specimens.

3.1.2 Materials for mounting of plant specimens

Herbarium sheet/mounting paper, Scissors, Glue, Needle and thread.

Others materials are;

Specimen label: Plant specimen’s botanical name and local name are written on it.

Herbarium cabinet/shelf: This is where herbarium specimens are kept.

3.2 Methods

3.2.1 Field Study

Botanical garden, forest was location chosen inside The Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Campus,
different Plant specimens were identified and their characteristics, habitat, and distribution were
studied. Relevant information including location, date, plant description and other observations
was recorded.

3.2.2 Collection of specimens

In this step, the plant specimens are collected. Different parts of the plant, including leaves, flowers,
fruits, stems and roots was collected Appropriate tools, such as a sharp knife or pruning shears was used
to minimize damage to the specimen. This means that they must have fully grown leaves and
complete inflorescence. The twigs represent the woody elements. The plant specimens are
9
collected with underground parts (except flowers and tree). When making herbarium one thing
that should be kept in mind is that the collection of diseased plants should be avoided. The
collections that are made should be kept in metallic vacuum or polythene bags. This should be
done to preserve moisture.

3.2.3 Pressing and Drying

Plant specimens should be pressed immediately upon collection to preserve the shape and
morphology. Once cut, some plants begin to wilt immediately (e.g. many legumes) and the
leaves or petals may fold or wrinkle resulting in poor specimens. Plant specimens that are
collected should be pressed in ordinary newspaper folders and overlapping should be avoided.
The Plants should be carefully arranged as they are placed in the press to maximize preservation
of diagnostic features. Leaves, flowers, and fruits should be spread out so that they do not
overlap too much and can be observed from different perspectives. The collection number should
be clearly written on the outside of the folded paper containing each plant specimen. The plant
press must be kept tight; this prevents shrinkage and wrinkling of the plant material and yields
specimens that are easier to mount securely on herbarium paper. Avoid the blackening and decay
of plant specimens, the moistened folders should be changed. The objective of pressing plants is
to preserve the morphological integrity of the plant, while quickly but gently removing moisture
to yield material that can be easily mounted on herbarium paper for long-term storage and
subsequent research applications. Pressed plants must be thoroughly dried

10
Plate 3.1 showing pressed plants specimen in a plant press
3.2.4 Mounting, Stitching and Labeling

The plant specimens after pressing and drying are glue and stitched on the herbarium sheets.
Specimens label are attached to the herbarium sheets. A label, which generally includes the Latin
name of the plant and local name, the locality where it was collected, information on habitat,
name of the collector and date of collection, is attached in the lower right corner of the herbarium
sheets.

3.2.5 Precautions

Mass collecting should be avoided; Material should be pressed immediately upon collection to
preserve the shape and morphology. Once cut, some plants begin to wilt immediately (e.g. many
legumes) and the leaves or petals may fold or wrinkle resulting in poor specimens. Bags should
not be packed tightly, and should be kept cool and moist. The plant press must be kept tight; this
prevents shrinkage and wrinkling of the plant material and yields specimens that are easier to
mount securely on herbarium paper. Pressed plants must be thoroughly dried prior to storage and
mounting. When mounting, Avoid clumping of plant part, spread plant specimens on the
herbarium sheets out for better display, be careful not to break plant specimen and Flip over test
should be done to check if the plant specimens is well glue.

11
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Results

Completed herbarium specimens:

Plate 4.1 Vernonia amygdalina,

Plate 4.1.2 Eugenia uniflora

Plate 4.1.3 Ixora finlaysoniana

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Plate 4.1.4 Murraya paniculata

Plate 4.1.5 Acalypha wilkesiana

Plate 4.1.6 Azadirachta Indica

Plate 4.1.7 Codiaeum variegatum(Sunnystar croton)

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Plate 4.1.8 Citrus Maxima

Plate 4.1.9 Corymbia Torelliana

Plate 4.1.10 Ammophila Arenaria

Plate 4.1.11 Axonopus Compressus

14
Plate 4.1.12 Sporobolus Fimbriatus

4.2 Discussion

In this study, the herbarium label which was used is around round 8 × 12 cm and contains all
data about the plant specimens. This contains: name of family, name of genus and species, area
of collection, habit, date of collection, description about plant, field number and common or local
name.

15
 4.2.1 Classification of complete Herbarium specimens:

SCIENTIFIC COMMO LOCAL FAMILY LEAF LEAF LEAF LEAF

NAME N NAME NAME SHAPE ARRAN MAGRIN COLOR
GEMEN
T

1 Vernonia Bitter leaf Ewuro Asteraceae Elliptic Opposite Toothed Green

amygdalina

2 Eugenia Cayenne Myrtaceae Oval to Opposite Entire Green

uniflora cherry lance

3 Ixora Agunloye Rubiaceae Lance Opposite Smooth Green

Finlaysoniana olate and entire

4 Murraya Orange Rutaceae Lance Alternate Entire Dark green

paniculata jasmine olate

5 Acalypha Copper Ewe Euphorbiace Ovate Alternate Dentate Copper green

wilkesiana leaf, Jacobs larapupa ae with red
coat splashes

6 Codiaeum Sunny star Ewe Euphorbiace Lance Alternate Slightly Red,pink,

variegatum olobun ae olate serrated orange, yellow
(sunnystar and green
croton)

7 Citrus maxima Chinese pomelo Rutaceae Elliptic- Alternate Undulate Green

grape fruit oval

16
8 Azadirachta Neem tree margosa Meliaceae Linear Opposite Dentate Dark green
indica

9 Corymbia Cadagi tree Myrtaceae Ovate Alternate wavy Gray-green

torelliana

10 Ammophila European Poaceae Alternate Green

arenaria beachgrass

11 Axonopus Broadleaf Poaceae Linear Alternate Ondulated Green

compressus carpetgrass ovate

12 Sporobolus Bushveld Poaceae Entire and Alternate Green

fimbriatus dropseed linear

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 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion

Herbarium is the collection of plant specimens organized in the arrangement of an acknowledged

classification. Plant specimens are collected, pressed and mounted on herbarium sheets. The
primary goal of herbaria is to report, distinguish and depict plant varieties.

Several plants collected in this research can be used for medicinal purposes. Scientists can
successfully pull DNA and proteins from the leaves and the flowers, even if they are hundred
years old. The deposit of herbarium specimen can ease plant identification and authentication of
plant based research for student and members of staff in the Biology Laboratory of Science
Laboratory Department, Federal Polytechnic Ilaro.

5.2 Recommendation

Having concluded this research work, below recommendation was made;

The collection of plant for the rehabilitation of the herbarium in the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro
was successful. The research can also go a long way in looking at the herbarium at the University
of Ibadan. The university has a herbarium situated in the department of botany. it is a universally
perceived herbarium where different capabilities including plant identification are done. The
herbarium at University of Ibadan has more than 26 thousand collection of flowering plants
mostly from Nigeria and Cameroon.

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