Collection Of Herbarium Specimens Research Articles

Floristic composition, life forms and phytogeography of the mountains between Damghan and Shahrud, Eastern Alborz (Iran)

Floristic study of the southern parts of Eastern Alborz in Iranian country was conducted. Encompassing an area of approximately 700 km², this region is located about 50 km north of Damghan and Shahrud (Semnan province), with a high difference in elevations ranging from 1400 to 3813 meters above sea level. According to 2400 collected herbarium specimens, a total of 674 taxa belonging to 332 genera and 71 families were identified. The most abundant families were Asteraceae (46 genera, 97 species), Brassicaceae (35 genera, 59 species), and Poaceae (33 genera, 65 species), respectively. The genus Astragalus, with 34 species, stands as the largest genus in the study area, followed by Cousinia (14 species), Bromus (13 species), Silene, Acantholimon, and Allium (each with 9 species), as well as Alyssum, Gagea, and Poa (each with 8 species). The flora of the study area has a significant influence of Irano-Turanian elements (369 taxa), followed by combinations of Irano-Turanian/Europe-Siberian (127 taxa), Irano-Turanian/Europe-Siberian/Mediterranean (47 taxa), Pluriregional (24 taxa), and Irano-Turanian/Saharo-Arabian elements (22 taxa), among others. Hemicryptophytes (43.62%) emerged as the most prevalent life forms in this region, followed by the others. Overall, 78 species were identified as Irano-Turanian endemics, with many facing threats due to overgrazing and the ongoing effects of climate change.

Primula kawasimae H. Hara (Primulaceae) on the Kamchatka Peninsula

Primula kawasimae H. Hara is reliably known in Russia only on Sakhalin Island and Kamchatka Peninsula. It is listed in the Red Books of Sakhalin Region and Kamchatka Krai. For a long time it was listed for Kamchatka based on the only collection of V. V. Yakubov from the eastern coast of the peninsula. In 2017, the species was found in Central Kamchatka (Bystrinsky District). In 2022, habitats with abundant Primula kawashimae were found in the Bystrinsky District. We took photos of plants in different phenological phases, collected herbarium specimens and seeds, and determined chromosome numbers.

LiDAR sensors in smartphones can enrich herbarium specimens with 3D models of habitat at high precision and little cost

AbstractThe amount of habitat information collected with herbarium specimens traditionally depends on the commitment of individual collectors to generate free‐text descriptions. The resulting incomplete and unstandardized information limits the use of specimens for many ecological and biogeographic applications and may even limit their use in taxonomy. LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is an emerging technique for generating 3D environmental laser scans and is included in the latest generation of certain commercial smartphones and tablets. Here we argue, that widespread handheld LiDAR devices have an enormous potential for herbarium specimens by facilitating the collection of detailed 3D models of specimen habitat with little additional cost in the field. Furthermore, we report our experiences with using LiDAR during herbarium specimen collection and present a perspective on how LiDAR data may technically be linked with physical herbarium specimens.

Mexico’s Forest Diversity: Common Tree Species and Proposed Forest-Vegetation Provinces

We report a relatively rare study of a national forest inventory in a megadiverse country with the systematic collection of herbarium specimens. The taxonomic identification of 22,659 herbarium collections from 6942 sites of Mexico’s national forest inventory resulted in 1464 native tree species (approximately half of Mexico’s estimated total), in 470 genera and 117 plant families. We compared visual tree-species identifications in the field by hired crews, with much more rigorous identification of submitted (mostly sterile) herbarium specimens by experienced taxonomists and specialists at the National Herbarium: for 40% of the 22,659 collections, the identification of species names from the field was confirmed, for 32% it was corrected at the herbarium, and 27% had been sent without any identification. The most commonly collected plant families were Fagaceae (oak family, 21.7% of all collections), Fabaceae (legumes, 17.7%), and Pinaceae (pine family, 13.3%). The most commonly collected tree species in six major forest-vegetation types were Pinus leiophylla in “coniferous forest”, Quercus magnoliifolia in “highland broadleaf forest”, Liquidambar styraciflua in “mountainous cloud forest”, Bursera simaruba in “lowland evergreen forest”, Lysiloma divaricatum in “lowland dry forest”, and Parkinsonia microphylla in “xerophilous scrub”. We overlapped the six major forest-vegetation types with Mexico’s 15 mainland floristic provinces, as circumscribed by Rzedowski. This resulted in 75 so-called forest-vegetation provinces, of which 35 had at least 20 collection sites. The similarity of species composition among these 35 forest-vegetation provinces was only 17–34% with the Jaccard community index, and 15–42% with the Morisita-Horn community index. The number of physically undetected species was estimated statistically for the 35 forest-vegetation provinces, which indicates that there are forest-vegetation provinces, where the number of species could be up to 8.8-fold higher than those detected in the present work. Finally, we suggest a method to distribute sites optimally among the country in future forest inventories, such as to minimize the average area represented by the sites in each forest-vegetation province.

Konsep pengembangan gallery, library, archive, dan museum (GLAM) Keanekaragaman Hayati di kawasan Cibinong Science Center

Background. Gallery, Library, Archive, and Museum (GLAM) for biodiversity is a documentation center for research institutions on biodiversity as a means of transferring information and knowledge to the public. The functions of education, research, preservation, information, and recreation can be obtained from GLAM. The goal of this study is to inform the potential and form of GLAM innovation in the Cibinong area so that it can become a National Documentation Center for Biodiversity.Methods. The research method uses the observation method by looking at facts in the field and literature studies to support this research.Results and discussion. This study describes the Cibinong Science Center area has five libraries of various disciplines. Regarding biodiversity, the Cibinong area has a biology library with a collection of more than 10,000 books. In the zoology building, there is an animal biodiversity gallery located under the library building. In addition, the Research Center for Biology has a collection of animal specimens in the zoology building, a collection of herbarium specimens at the Botanical Building and the InaCC Building (Indonesian Culture Collection) to store microorganisms.Conclusions. The concept of developing GLAM for Biodiversity in Cibinong Science Center can be applied. Collaboration with other documentary unit manager such archivist and specimen curators must be carried out in order to create GLAM for Biodiversity. The concept of innovation in the development of GLAM is to integrate it in one building and management.

Ethnobotanical knowledge against the combined biodiversity, poverty and climate crisis: A case study from a Karen community in Northern Thailand

Societal Impact StatementGlobal biodiversity is eroding at alarming rates due to anthropogenic factors, such as climate change and unsustainable land use management. These interrelated challenges often push forest ecosystems to their limits, leading many species to disappear before their characteristics and potential are explored. As a result, indigenous rural communities inhabiting the world's biodiversity hotspots are losing a vital resource that supports their subsistence and livelihoods against persistent poverty. This research documents traditional ecological knowledge of a Karen community inside the Doi Inthanon National Park, Northern Thailand, reporting ethnobotanical uses of 125 plant taxa. It provides a ranking of culturally important trees that can inform the selection of framework species for ecosystem restoration and sustainable development in the region's montane forests.Summary Climate change, population growth and persistent poverty are applying pressure to the world's most fragile ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots in unprecedented ways. There is an urgent need to document species that provide important ecological services and contribute to overall human quality of life. Participatory rural appraisal tools and collection of herbarium specimens were used to elicit ethnobotanical knowledge of an ethnic community inside the mountain forest of Northern Thailand. Statistical analysis was performed on the basis of quantitative indices to rank the cultural significance of the reported species in a Karen community inside Doi Inthanon National Park, Northern Thailand. This article presents an ethnobotanical inventory of 125 plants, including data on important botanical families, use categories and useful plant parts. A prioritisation of 30 culturally important tree species is attempted on the basis of four quantitative indices. Most of the reported plants are neglected and underutilised in need of further research and development for the diversification of agriculture, diets, livelihoods and landscapes. The integration of cultural criteria in the selection of framework species for ecosystem restoration embeds local community needs in conservation efforts, increasing their potential for success and fostering an integrated approach to sustainable development.

The Welsh National Herbarium

ABSTRACT The Welsh National Herbarium is the most important collection of herbarium specimens in Wales, and the third most important in the United Kingdom. Originating over a century ago, its expansion during the 20th century reflects the growth in awareness of the significance of plant sciences in Wales. Located in Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, the Herbarium contains over three-quarters of a million specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, algae and fungi, with particular strengths in the Welsh flora, and in Hieracium, Taraxacum, Rubus, Sorbus, bryophytes (including the British Bryological Society herbarium), lichens, and biocultural items. There are also substantial collections of botanical illustrations, stamps, photographs, rare books, wax models, and exsiccatae. Staff are involved in active research, and educational and outreach programmes.

Traditional food plants of the upper Aswa River catchment of northern Uganda\u2014a cultural crossroads

BackgroundIn the parkland agroforestry system of northern Uganda, smallholder farming households rely on a diversity of plant species to fulfil their nutritional requirements, many of which also serve a range of medicinal, cultural, and livelihood functions. The purpose of the study was to assemble an inventory of indigenous plant species used as food in four districts within the Aswa River catchment of northern Uganda, and to document their utilization and management by rural communities.MethodsFrom July 1999 to August 2000, a series of 61 community-based focus group discussions on the utilization of plant biodiversity were conducted in the vernacular language at 34 sites in four districts of northern Uganda, with participation by key informants self-selected on basis of their technical knowledge and personal interest. Of these, 232 respondents subsequently contributed to a collection of herbarium specimens, which were submitted to the Makerere University Herbarium for identification. On receipt of each specimen collected, a structured interview was conducted to document the botanical, ecological, seasonal, and alimentary attributes of each identified taxon, and details of its processing and utilization by the community from which it was obtained. The data analysis was undertaken during 2019 and 2020, including statistical tests to assess the relative importance of the cited taxa using the Relative Importance Index (RI), and to determine the similarity of edible plant use between the four cultures using the Jaccard Index of similarity (JI).ResultsKey informant interviews yielded 1347 use reports (URs) for 360 identified specimens of 88 indigenous edible plant species. The data describes patterns of use of indigenous edible plants of four cultures of the Aswa River catchment of northern Uganda. RI scores ranged from 0.93 to 0.11, with fruit trees occupying the top 25 taxa (RI 0.45 and above). Jaccard similarity scores ranged from 25.8% between Lango and Acholi, to 15.8% between Acholi and Ethur, indicating that cultural factors appear to be more significant than shared ancestry as determinants of cultural similarity of plant use.ConclusionsThe data constitute an inventory of on-farm plant species, including cultivated, semi-cultivated, and wild plants, integrated into a parkland agroforestry system in which useful trees and other plant species are sustained and managed under cultivation. Agricultural and on-farm plant biodiversity may be seen as a food security resource, and a nutritional buffer against increasing risks and stressors on low-input smallholder agriculture. Further studies should assess the intra-species biodiversity of these resources, with respect to farmer-valued traits and vernacular (folk) classification systems.

HAWTHORN (CRATAEGUS L.) TAXA AND THEIR HYBRIDS IN NORTH-WESTERN ROMANIA: A RECOMMENDATION FOR NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION KEYS BASED ON MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSES

Crataegus species are common and widespread shrubs or small trees across Europe, and are of considerable ecological and agricultural importance. However, controversy still surrounds the taxonomy and ecology of this genus, mainly due to frequent hybridization between sympatric species and introgression of genes. Considering the poor representation of Crataegus-related research in the Romanian botanical literature, we investigated the occurrence and morphology of native Crataegus species and their putative hybrids in north-western Romania. We collected herbarium specimens from three regions (Zărandului Mountains, Transylvanian Plain, Călata region), from a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands and forest-grassland ecotones. Morphometric measurements were taken on a total of 34 fruit-, leaf- and stipule characters on generative shoots. We used PCA and Random Forest analysis to select for the ‘best’ characters differentiating between species and hybrids. We identified ten different Crataegus taxa, including species, subspecies, varieties and their hybrid nothotaxa: Crataegus monogyna (mainly in grasslands), C. rhipidophylla var. rhipidophylla, C. rhipidophylla var. lindmannii and C. laevigata subsp. laevigata, C. laevigata subsp. palmstruchii (mainly in forests), C. × kyrtostyla nothovar. domicensis, C. × media, C. × macrocarpa nothovar. macrocarpa and C. × macrocarpa nothovar. hadensis (mainly in forest openings and near forest edges). The most common taxa identified was C. × kyrtostyla nothovar. kyrtostyla (common in grasslands, rarer in forests). The best differentiating characters between species and hybrids were number of styles, fruit length, number of teeth on stipules, position of sepals on mature fruits, number of serrations on basal leaf lobe, ratio between serrate part of lower leaf lobe and the entire part, depth of basal sinus, and ratio between sepal length and width. Based on the results of the morphometric analysis and literature review, we constructed national identification keys of all Crataegus taxa identified in this study and other confirmed taxa present in Romania. Additionally, we have illustrated the most common six identified taxa (including hybrids).

A Preliminary Checklist of Flowering Plants in Pangkor Selatan Forest Reserve, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia

A preliminary botanical survey was conducted in the coastal hill forest in Pangkor Selatan Forest Reserve, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. Standard methods were used to record the species found around this forest. The first method involved the collection of herbarium specimens which are complete with fruit and flowers (fertile specimens). Unfortunately during this survey many species did not bear fruits or flowers. The second method involved the collection of sterile specimens (without fruits and flowers) to be used as voucher specimens and the third method was by random observation where the plants were observed without any specimen collection. The fourth method involved the establishment of small plots where all plants were enumerated. In the first and second methods, the specimens were collected and processed. The fertile specimens were kept in the Herbarium of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKMB) as a reference in the future. Identification was done by comparing with those reference collections in herbarium UKMB and herbarium of Forest Research Institute (KEP) plus referring to local botanical books. A total of 237 taxa belonging to 170 genera and 64 families were recorded. Dicotyledons are represented by 59 families while the monocotyledons are represented by only 5 families. The family Euphorbiaceae is the most speciose with 21 species and followed by Dipterocarpaceae with 14 species. Both the genera <i>Diospyros </i>and<i> Syzygium </i>are the largest with 8 species each. The species that are commonly found in these forests include <i>Cnestis palala</i>,<i> Rourea minor</i>, <i>Hopea beccariana, Diospyros clavigera</i>, <i>Hydnocarpus filipes</i>,<i> Fordia unifoliata</i>,<i> Memecylon pubescens</i>, <i>Pternandra coerulescens</i>,<i> Ficus variegata</i>,<i> F</i>.<i> vasculosa</i>, <i>Knema stenophylla</i>, <i>Syzygium zeylanicum</i>,<i> Strombosia javanica</i>,<i> Eugeissona tristis</i>,<i> Orania sylvicola</i>, <i>Xanthophyllum affine</i>, <i>Gynotroches axillaris</i>,<i> Aidia densiflora</i>,<i> Diplospora malaccensis</i>,<i> Gardenia carinata</i>,<i> Psydrax </i>sp. 10, <i>Paramignya </i>sp.,<i> Grewia laevigata</i>,<i> Schoutenia accrescens </i>ssp.<i> accrescens </i>and<i> Rinorea anguifera</i>. A total of 25 endemic taxa to Peninsular Malaysia has been recorded in this study including <i>Fordia unifoliata</i>, a small tree of ca. 10 m tall, endemic to Perak and restricted to coastal hill forest. In addition, a total of 48 species of flowering plants in Pangkor Selatan Forest Reserve was listed in 2020 IUCN Red List Categories and related reference. It is clear that this coastal hill forest has supported many species of flowering plants including endemic taxa and this forest need to be conserved.

Conservation status of conifers in Nam Dong Conservation Area (Thanh Hoa Province, northern Vietnam)

During the field works 2017 –2019, we collected herbarium specimens of conifers in limestone area of Nam Dong Conservation Area, Thanh Hoa Province, northern Vietnam. They belong to six genera and five families (Cephalotaxaceae, Gnetaceae, Pinaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Taxaceae). Studied species are identified by IUCN Red List as EN (one species), VU (two species), LC (three species), and NT (two species). Three species found in the area are listed in Vietnam Red Data Book (Part II. Plants) and Vietnam Red List as VU. In addition, three species are listed by the Decree 32/ND-CP as IIA (two species) and IA (one species). The paper provides data on distribution of all coniferous species in studied area. The result of the study provides new original information for biodiversity management especially for threatened conifers in Nam Dong Conservation Area.

First inventory of vascular flora of Matokit mountain (Biokovo massif, Croatia)

The vascular flora of Matokit Mt (Biokovo Massif) in southern Croatia was researched in different vegetation periods from 2010-2015, and a total of 604 vascular plant taxa belonging to 86 families and 337 genera were found. The studied area has never been studied in the past and these are the first detailed floristic data about grasslands in different succession stages of Matokit Mt. Collected herbarium specimens (345 sheets) were digitalized and are available at the ZAGR Virtual Herbarium. The most dominant families were legumes (Fabaceae 9.9%), grasses (Poaceae 9.1%), daisies (Asteraceae 7.4%) and mints (Lamiaceae 6.8%). The analysis of life forms shows the dominance of hemicryptophytes (39.9%) and therophytes (26.2%) on Matokit Mt that indicates a high influence of the Mediterranean climate. A total of 36 endangered and 17 invasive plant taxa across the whole studied area were recorded. Endemic are 32 plant taxa (26 endemics in a broader sense and 6 stenoendemics) and they represent new site of Croatian flora. The occurrence of some very rare endemics (Cardamine fialae Fritsch and Erysimum croaticum Polatschek) in the flora of Matokit Mt is of special interest for the national flora.

Ethnobotanical Study of Food Plant in Bentong Community from Barru Regency, South Sulawesi-Indonesia

Masyarakat Suku Bentong hidup di Desa Bulo-Bulo, Kabupaten Barru Sulawesi Selatan. Sekitar 50 tahun yang lalu, masyarakat tersebut masih hidup nomaden, namun saat ini masyarakat tersebut telah hidup menetap. Pengetahuan tentang pemanfaatan tumbuhan sebagai bahan pangan oleh masyarakat Suku Bentong belum tercatat. Penelitian ini bertujuan mendata dan menguraikan pemanfaatan spesies tumbuhan bahan pangan masyarakat Suku Bentong. Pengumpulan data melalui wawancara informan, observasi, dan pengambilan spesimen herbarium untuk diidentifikasi. Data dianalisis secara deskriptif dengan mengkaji spesies tumbuhan yang digunakan sebagai bahan pangan serta analisis secara kuantitatif menggunakan persamaan indeks kepentingan budaya. Masyarakat Suku bentong menggunakan 70 spesies tumbuhan sebagai bahan pangan meliputi: 1) sebagai makanan pokok terdiri dari 4 jenis yaitu buah ‘kenrang’ (Ficus racemosa) dan umbi ‘sikapa’ (Dioscorea hispida) pada saat masih nomaden serta tanaman padi (Oryza sativa) dan jagung (Zea mays) setelah tinggal menetap; 2) sebagai sayuran 34 spesies; 3) sebagai buah-buahan 33 spesies; dan 4) sebagai minuman 5 spesies. Hasil analisis ICS menunjukkan spesies yang memiliki nilai indeks kepentingan budaya tertinggi adalah tanaman padi (100) diikuti oleh lontar (83), pisang (78), kelapa (48) dan aren (44).&#x0D; &#x0D; Kata kunci: Bentong, Desa Bulo-Bulo, etnobotani, nomaden

Patterns and biases in an Arctic herbarium specimen collection: Implications for phenological research.

Premise of the StudyHerbarium specimens are increasingly used in phenological studies. However, natural history collections can have biases that influence the analysis of phenological events. Arctic environments, where remoteness and cold climate govern collection logistics, may give rise to unique or pronounced biases.MethodsWe assessed the presence of biases in time, space, phenological events, collectors, taxonomy, and plant traits across Nunavut using herbarium specimens accessioned at the National Herbarium of Canada (CAN).ResultsWe found periods of high and low collection that corresponded to societal and institutional events; greater collection density close to common points of air and sea access; and preferences to collect plants at the flowering phase and in peak flower, and to collect particular taxa, flower colours, growth forms, and plant heights. One‐quarter of collectors contributed 90% of the collection.DiscussionCollections influenced by temporal and spatial biases have the potential to misrepresent phenology across space and time, whereas those shaped by the interests of collectors or the tendency to favour particular phenological stages, taxa, and plant traits could give rise to imbalanced phenological comparisons. Underlying collection patterns may vary among regions and institutions. To guide phenological analyses, we recommend routine assessment of any herbarium data set prior to its use.

РОЛЬ ГЕРБАРІЇВ У ВИВЧЕННІ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО КОМІТЕТУ ОХОРОНИ ПАМ’ЯТОК ПРИРОДИ У 1926-1930 РОКАХ

In the 1920s creation of nature monuments and reserves was based on the identification of typical and unique botanically representative sites of wild nature. This work involved a wide range of ethnographers, biologists, foresters and teachers. For these purposes, a collection of herbarium specimens was organized, following by analysis undertaken by skillful botanists in Kharkiv, which was at that time not only the Ukrainian SSR center, but also the key point in organization of nature conservation work. The study of herbariua preserved from that times makes it possible to understand how the environmental work was organized, as well as to compare the flora of the reserves at that time with its state today.

Herbarium specimens can reveal impacts of climate change on plant phenology; a review of methods and applications.

Studies in plant phenology have provided some of the best evidence for large-scale responses to recent climate change. Over the last decade, more than thirty studies have used herbarium specimens to analyze changes in flowering phenology over time, although studies from tropical environments are thus far generally lacking. In this review, we summarize the approaches and applications used to date. Reproductive plant phenology has primarily been analyzed using two summary statistics, the mean flowering day of year and first-flowering day of year, but mean flowering day has proven to be a more robust statistic. Two types of regression models have been applied to test for associations between flowering, temperature and time: flowering day regressed on year and flowering day regressed on temperature. Most studies analyzed the effect of temperature by averaging temperatures from three months prior to the date of flowering. On average, published studies have used 55 herbarium specimens per species to characterize changes in phenology over time, but in many cases fewer specimens were used. Geospatial grid data are increasingly being used for determining average temperatures at herbarium specimen collection locations, allowing testing for finer scale correspondence between phenology and climate. Multiple studies have shown that inferences from herbarium specimen data are comparable to findings from systematically collected field observations. Understanding phenological responses to climate change is a crucial step towards recognizing implications for higher trophic levels and large-scale ecosystem processes. As herbaria are increasingly being digitized worldwide, more data are becoming available for future studies. As temperatures continue to rise globally, herbarium specimens are expected to become an increasingly important resource for analyzing plant responses to climate change.

Distribution and diversity of Fagaceae in Hidalgo, Mexico

Background: The family Fagaceae is one of the most important in temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere. Fagus and Quercus are distributed in Mexico, the former in Northeastern Mexico, while the latter reaches a high diversity in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico. In Hidalgo state, located mainly in the Sierra Madre Oriental, knowledge of the Fagaceae diversity is still uncertain.&#x0D; Questions and/or hypothesis: We carried out a taxonomic revision of the genus and species of Fagaceae in Hidalgo state. We determined how many and which species are distributed in Hidalgo. We also present a morphological description and ecological characters of each one.&#x0D; Studied species: The species of the family Fagaceae&#x0D; Study site: Hidalgo state, Mexico.&#x0D; Method: We collected herbarium specimens, made field observations and reviewed herbarium data of Fagaceae specimens at FCME, INEGI, MEXU, ENCB, SLPM, HUMO, XAL and partly BH herbaria. In addition, we checked taxonomic literature and protologues of each species.&#x0D; Results: We found one species of Fagus and 43 of Quercus , 22 of which belong to the section Quercus (white oaks) and 21 to section Lobatae (red oaks). Morphological descriptions, altitudinal and geographical distribution, vegetation types of each species and a dichotomous key for species identification are presented. Illustrations and photographs of the species are also included.&#x0D; Conclusions: A high diversity of Fagaceae species is present in Hidalgo state. In Mexico, Hidalgo ranks in fifth place for oak species diversity, just behind Oaxaca (50 species), Puebla (50), San Luis Potosí (45), and Jalisco (45).

Comparison of Herbarium Label Data and Published Medicinal Use: Herbaria as an Underutilized Source of Ethnobotanical Information

The use of herbarium specimens as vouchers to support ethnobotanical surveys is well established. However, herbaria may be underutilized resources for ethnobotanical research that depends on the analysis of large datasets compiled across multiple sites. Here, we compare two medicinal use datasets, one sourced from published papers and the other from online herbaria to determine whether herbarium and published data are comparable and to what extent herbarium specimens add new data and fill gaps in our knowledge of geographical extent of plant use. Using Brazilian legumes as a case study, we compiled 1400 use reports from 105 publications and 15 Brazilian herbaria. Of the 319 species in 107 genera with cited medicinal uses, 165 (51%) were recorded only in the literature and 55 (17%) only on herbarium labels. Mode of application, plant part used, or therapeutic use was less often documented by herbarium specimen labels (17% with information) than publications (70%). However, medicinal use of 21 of the 128 species known from only one report in the literature was substantiated from independently collected herbarium specimens, and 58 new therapeutic applications, 25 new plant parts, and 16 new modes of application were added for species known from the literature. Thus, when literature reports are few or information-poor, herbarium data can both validate and augment these reports. Herbarium data can also provide insights into the history and geographical extent of use that are not captured in publications.

Prediction of Arctic plant phenological sensitivity to climate change from historical records.

The pace of climate change in the Arctic is dramatic, with temperatures rising at a rate double the global average. The timing of flowering and fruiting (phenology) is often temperature dependent and tends to advance as the climate warms. Herbarium specimens, photographs, and field observations can provide historical phenology records and have been used, on a localised scale, to predict species’ phenological sensitivity to climate change. Conducting similar localised studies in the Canadian Arctic, however, poses a challenge where the collection of herbarium specimens, photographs, and field observations have been temporally and spatially sporadic. We used flowering and seed dispersal times of 23 Arctic species from herbarium specimens, photographs, and field observations collected from across the 2.1 million km2 area of Nunavut, Canada, to determine (1) which monthly temperatures influence flowering and seed dispersal times; (2) species’ phenological sensitivity to temperature; and (3) whether flowering or seed dispersal times have advanced over the past 120 years. We tested this at different spatial scales and compared the sensitivity in different regions of Nunavut. Broadly speaking, this research serves as a proof of concept to assess whether phenology–climate change studies using historic data can be conducted at large spatial scales. Flowering times and seed dispersal time were most strongly correlated with June and July temperatures, respectively. Seed dispersal times have advanced at double the rate of flowering times over the past 120 years, reflecting greater late‐summer temperature rises in Nunavut. There is great diversity in the flowering time sensitivity to temperature of Arctic plant species, suggesting climate change implications for Arctic ecological communities, including altered community composition, competition, and pollinator interactions. Intraspecific temperature sensitivity and warming trends varied markedly across Nunavut and could result in greater changes in some parts of Nunavut than in others.

Long-term nitrogen deposition linked to reduced water use efficiency in forests with low phosphorus availability.

The impact of long-term nitrogen (N) deposition is under-studied in phosphorus (P)-limited subtropical forests. We exploited historically collected herbarium specimens to investigate potential physiological responses of trees in three subtropical forests representing an urban-to-rural gradient, across which N deposition has probably varied over the past six decades. We measured foliar [N] and [P] and stable carbon (δ(13) C), oxygen (δ(18) O) and nitrogen (δ(15) N) isotopic compositions in tissue from herbarium specimens of plant species collected from 1947 to 2014. Foliar [N] and N:P increased, and δ(15) N and [P] decreased in the two forests close to urban centers. Consistent with recent studies demonstrating that N deposition in the region is (15) N-depleted, these data suggest that the increased foliar [N] and N:P, and decreased [P], may be attributable to atmospheric deposition and associated enhancement of P limitation. Estimates of intrinsic water use efficiency calculated from foliar δ(13) C decreased by c. 30% from the 1950s to 2014, contrasting with multiple studies investigating similar parameters in N-limited forests. This effect may reflect decreased photosynthesis, as suggested by a conceptual model of foliar δ(13) C and δ(18) O. Long-term N deposition may exacerbate P limitation and mitigate projected increases in carbon stocks driven by elevated CO2 in forests on P-limited soils.