Activity 1.

2
Building a Mini-Exhibit of Plants

Name: _________________________________________ Instructor: Jia Agana, LPT

Track&Section:___________________________________ Group No. ____

Results and Interpretations

1. What is the main aim of creating a herbarium specimen?

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2. How does alcohol help in the dehydration of the plant?

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 Activity 1.2
Building a Mini-Exhibit of Plants

Herbarium specimens are used to identify plants and provide permanent record of species in
terms of locality, distribution and habitant information. Some specimens are used by
biologist as reference materials to give scientific names and to serve as source of
information for toxicological cases and biochemical analysis.

Objective:
 Create a plant herbarium specimen to preserve plant parts and its specialized
structure.

Materials:

 Bloating paper / Acid free Water Color paper

 Newspapers
 Scissors
 Rope or plastic string
 Plant press made of bamboo and or wood
 Camera
 70 % alcohol
 Gloves
 Corrugated cardboard

Reminders during plant collection:

 Make sure to include all the available plant parts (stem, leaves and roots, including flowers
and fruit if present)
 Note down the details about the plant and the place where it was collected. Take photos of
the plant and the environment where it was taken.

Procedure:

1. Lay down plant between sheets of newspaper ,

bloating paper to absorb the moisture of the
specimen and make sure that all its parts and
features are showing.
2. Apply alcohol on the plant by brushing a layer
on the surface.
3. When around 5-10 stocks of plant – paper-
arrangement have been completed, stack them
together between wooden lattices made of
bamboo or sticks of wood. Tie the rope/leather
belt or string around the assembly to hold the
press tightly together.
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4. Let the press in a warm, dry place or under the sun.
5. Replace the newspaper and bloating paper
every two or three days to remove moisture
and minimize chances of forming molds.
6. Once the specimen is dry, mount the
specimen in a specimen sheet (bloating
paper) in portrait arrangement.
7. Attach the specimen by gluing or using
transparent tape. Do not forget to fasten the
label on the lower right corner of the
specimen sheet.

A plant specimen is incomplete without label data. Label data is a form of field
data and must be accurate. The following are important elements:
 Scientific name: genus, species, authority, infraspecific information
 Determiner of the scientific name: the name of the person who identified the plant
 Detailed location; the location is used by researchers on several levels:
o for general mapping to region, county or province;
o for detailed mapping, as in GIS computer applications;
 Habitat: the type of plant community where the plant is growing and, if known, other plants
growing in association
 Plant habit: describes the form of the plant (tree, shrub, vine, herb) and its height.
Examples: tree, ca. 50 ft. tall. sprawling herb
 Frequency: is the plant rare, occasional, frequent or common?
 Plant description: describe characteristics of the plant which may be lost upon drying, such
as flower/fruit color and fragrance, leaf orientation and aroma
 Collector/s name: it is recommended that the collector be consistent and use their full first
name, middle initial (or full name) and full last name.
 Date of collection: a format with the month spelled out or abbreviated and 4 digit year will
prevent confusion. E.g., 3 May 2003, not 3/5/03 or 5/3/03.

Place the label data of the plant at

the lower right corner of the plant
(used non acidic ball pen or marker)

Example: