DEFINITION
A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens, arranged and labeled systematically for future scientific study. Herbariums can be used for a variety of different approaches in science, from conservation and evolution all the way to identifying possible medicinal uses for plants that can be found in our backyards, or even as historical reminders of what our landscape looked like at a certain point in time.
WHY SHOULD WE STUDY PLANT SPECIMENS?
Simply put, plants maintain our ecosystem and specifically affect every aspect of human life. Not only do we consume them as a food source, use their properties medicinally, and even display them for aesthetic purposes, but we also need them to survive. Plants, as well as other photosynthetic organisms (those deriving their energy from sunlight) gave rise to earth’s atmosphere, and play a big part in maintaining our climate. Additionally, plants are the key to a healthy environment, for example: by controlling erosion, water pollution, and air pollution. Not only do plants help us on a global scale, but they can impact us on an individual scale as well, as seen by the following benefits:
- Increased concentration and productivity
- Stress and anxiety relief
- Mood boosting
- Improvement in quality of air
- …and many more!
With all the different aspects plants help us, we do our part in helping them not only by taking care of our common houseplant, but by conservation efforts in our community. The Friesner Herbarium as well as other herbariums around the world aim to broaden our understanding of plants on a local and global level. To learn more about our efforts in protecting plant specimens as well as different projects within the Friesner Herbarium, Click Here.