Abstract
The contents of the computerized information storage and retrieval system (PRECIS) of the National Herbarium, Pretoria (PRE) are described at length mainly by means of frequency histograms of descriptor codes. The frequency distributions found are discussed in the light of the history of the herbarium, the geography of the area and the habits of plant collectors. Two uses of PRECIS are illustrated by example. Firstly, the flowering phenology of Eragrostis capensis, Themeda triandra and Heteropogon contortus is plotted and, secondly, the route followed by Dinter in South West Africa/Namibia from December 1933 until March 1935 is described. It is concluded that the system should be o f particular use in revisionary studies, regional floras and biogeographic research.
Highlights
Over the past eight years a computerized data banking system for the National Herbarium (PRE) has been designed, programmed and data have been loaded
The aim of the project was to encode all the infor mation from the approximately half million her barium specimens collected in the Flora of Southern Africa Area and housed in the National Herbarium, Pretoria, and to produce a flexible information retrieval system by means of which the data could be made available in a number of useful forms
Frequency of occurrence of descriptors for specimens housed in the National Herbarium are summarised below, together with brief comments on the distributions found
Summary
Over the past eight years a computerized data banking system for the National Herbarium (PRE) has been designed, programmed and data have been loaded. The aim of the project was to encode all the infor mation from the approximately half million her barium specimens collected in the Flora of Southern Africa Area and housed in the National Herbarium, Pretoria, and to produce a flexible information retrieval system by means of which the data could be made available in a number of useful forms. Of great use to the designers of future systems will be knowledge of the frequency of occurrence o f descriptors in a herbarium of the size and scope of ours. Frequency of occurrence of descriptors for specimens housed in the National Herbarium are summarised below, together with brief comments on the distributions found Many uses of this and other such computerized herbarium data banks have been proposed
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