Dr. Srisanga studying and identifying plant specimens with microscopy
The process of unwrapping and mounting herbal samples for transport to the herbarium
The ethnobotanical portion of the Year of Botany Project would not exist without the many plant specimens currently in the care of the Philadelphia Herbarium at the Academy of Natural Sciences. After four decades, these plants finally found a home where they can be accessed and studied. The Penn Museum blog recently ran a feature about this collection of over a thousand pressed and unpressed plant samples.
Plant samples drying in 1981 before packing at Joyce White’s residence near Ban Chiang
Four experts in plant science from Thailand came to help with the unpacking and mounting process. YOB needed botanical expertise in identifying plants specific to certain areas of Thailand and their uses in daily life.
From left to right: Dr. Varangrat Nguanchoo (ethnobotanist), Dr. Prachaya Srisanga (leading plant taxonomist), Thitipa Kuttawas, a graduate student intern from Mahidol University
Thanks to the efforts of these experts and other volunteers, each plant specimen was appropriately preserved and labelled for its new home.
Image of a carpological sample with its information card, taken by Lea Belland
The full post from the museum blog can be accessed here: https://www.penn.museum/blog/cultivating-botanical-collections/