Return
to BIOL 334 pagesBIOL 334
Plant Taxonomy
GUIDELINES FOR COLLECTING VASCULAR PLANT SPECIMENS
Collection Ethics:
Remember that "when you tug on something in the universe, it is always
attached to something else". Always respect the environment and try to
minimize disturbance. Fill in all holes dug and replace rocks. Do not overcollect.
If a plant is poorly represented in the local area, collect minimally or not
at all, even if it is more abundant elsewhere. Do not collect rare plants. Do
not collect on state or national parts or other preservation areas unless you
have obtained a collecting permit. If you wish to collect on private land, obtain
permission from the owner.
If you locate a plant species listed as threatened or endangered in Oregon, make detailed notes of the location and habitat, take photographs if possible, and notify the Oregon Natural Heritage Database, the Oregon state office for endangered plants, or the local forest service botanist.
Equipment:
Field note book
Plant press
Plastic bags
Ice chest - if you will not be pressing collected plants right away, an ice
chest will help keep them fresh
Detailed maps, showing elevation and township, range and sections
Digging tools - these must be sturdy, but not too large or heavy; rock hammers
work well in eastern Oregon
Hand pruners - these are useful for collecting woody specimens
Field manual or flora of the collection area
Hand lens
Collecting Procedures:
Select specimens that are typical or show the range of variation in the population.
Make the specimen as complete as possible; try to include roots, stems, leaves,
flowers, and fruits. In general, you should only collect material with flowers
and/or fruits. For very small plants, collect eight or ten individuals if the
population is large enough.
Data to Record:
For each specimen collected, record the following information AT
THE TIME THE PLANT IS COLLECTED. Do not wait until the end
of the day to make your field notes, because you will forget many important
observations.
Collection number. This may be a sequential series beginning with one for the first plant you collect, or you may incorporate the date or a locality code into the number.
Locality. This information should be as precise as possible. Fifty years from now, someone should be able to relocate the exact collection location from your specimen label data. Include the following: state or country; county or other subdivision; detailed legal description of the locality, including township and range, down to quarer or quarter-section if possible; highway or road numbers and distances to known landmarks, towns, or other points of reference.
Ecological data. Record information about the local environment, such as soil texture, slope aspect, moisture, elevation, and associated species.
Features of the plant which may be obscured in pressing. If you do not collect the entire plant, record the height and branching pattern (if distinct). For all specimens, record flower color and distinctive odors. Flower color usually fades when plants are dried.
Local distribution and abundance. Use terms such as occasional, very common, locally abundant, etc... to describe how abundant the species is in the area where you are collecting.
Other observations. You may wish to record observations such as impact of grazing or other disturbance, insects visiting the plants, restriction to local microenvironment, variation in morphological features, or anything ususual about the plant or environment.
Pressing Procedures:
Press plants as soon as possible; the sooner they begin to dry in a press, the
better the preservation of flower color, etc. Ideally, specimens are pressed
as they are collected, but this is not always practical. When immediate pressing
is not feasible, keep thespecimens in plastic bags with wet paper towels, OUT
OF THE SUN. If plastic bags of plants are left in the sunshine, the plants will
wilt very rapidly.
Before pressing specimens, separate individual plants and clean off some of the soil. When collecting fleshy material such as cacti or large fleshy fruits or roots, slice the material to show the inner structure and to facilitate pressing and drying.
When pressing, arrange the specimen on an open sheet of newsprint to that all parts are well-displayed. Make sure that both upper and lower leaf surfaces are visible. Open some flowers longitudinally so that the internal structure can be seen after drying. If plants are too long to fit on the newsprint, simply bend the stems in a zig-zag as many times as necessary. If plants are too bulky, you may need to remove some of the leaves or stems. If so, clip them so that the stubs show and it is clear that the plant was larger.
Drying:
After you have pressed your plants, you need to get them dry as soon as possible.
For best results, bring your plant press to the lab and place it in the dryer
cabinet for two days. Many plants will dry adequately without being placed in
the dryer, but fleshy material will generally develop mildew and the specimens
will be spoiled if they are not dried within a few days.
Turning in your plant collections:
You will need to prepare labels for the specimens that you turn in. Look at
the web page of example labels for the format that you should follow. Labels
must be typed. Do not mount your specimens or in any way attach them to anything.
Leave them in the newsprint that you pressed them in, or in fresh newsprint.
Do not use tape or glue or staples.
Return
to BIOL 334 Individualized Study pages