Question

curating of collection and identification

Answer 1

A voucher herbarium specimen is a pressed plant sample deposited for future reference. It supports research work and may be examined to verify the identity of the specific plant used in a study. A voucher specimen must be deposited in a recognized herbarium committed to long-term maintenance. More information on herbaria may be found in our web document "Herbaria and Herbarium Specimens."

Why is voucher material needed? Plant classification is constantly changing. Shifts in species alignments and groupings are made as new evidence comes to light. Identifications are subject to change. Vouchers specimens help cross-reference these changes to previous research.

GETTING STARTED