See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/290435206

Modern techniques of herbarium protection

Article · January 2008

CITATIONS READS

0 6,681

1 author:

Jacek Drobnik
Medical University of Silesia in Katowice
43 PUBLICATIONS 105 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Historical medicinal bryophytes View project

The Botanical Lexicon of Latin Vegetable Materia Medica View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Jacek Drobnik on 14 January 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

SCRIPRA FACULTATIS RERUM NATURALIUM ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES
UNIVERSITATIS OSTRAVIENSIS, 186, 2008 AND BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IV

Modern techniques of herbarium protection

Jacek DROBNIK

Abstract: The paper is a concise survey of the latest practical recommendations in the field of herbarium storage
and protection. The greatest threat for herbaria are: herbarium pest infestations, ageing of paper used for
herbarium labels, sheets, envelopes and covers, and ageing of written or printed text. Modern protection
techniques consist in 1) lowering temperature; 2) maintaining low humidity; 3) use of vacuum chambers or
freezing specimens. Archival techniques and materials recommended in modern herbaria are: 1) acid-free papers,
2) acid-free inks and pencils which contain coal (graphite or soot) or other archival materials, 3) water-soluble
solvent-free plant-derived glues. Herbarium staff suffer from toxicity of old specimens and papers which both
used to be poisoned with heavy metal containing fumigants and with highly toxic pesticides. The former use of
toxic fumes or ultra-violet lamps reduced the flexibility of the paper and dried plant specimens.

Key words: herbarium techniques, archival materials, herbarium pests and moulds.

Introduction

Floristic and taxonomic data preserved in the form of a herbarium collection are a powerful
source of information. They are used in wide-range taxonomic, floristic, biogeographic and
ecological research. The knowledge of longevity and threats of modern herbaria develops
dynamically all around the world. It tends to protect the specimens more effectively. Some
general solutions concerning the herbarium protection, designing and furnishing of rooms and
buildings for the purposes of herbarial collections are also mentioned in some monographs in
the study: Managing the Modern Herbarium (METSGER & BYERS 1999).
The herbarised plants become worthless for the science also when the data from
herbarium labels become illegible (DROBNIK 2007).

Archival material and techniques

To prevent ageing of materials which are used for making herbarium sheets and labels, it is
recommended to use only the archival materials (e.g. of a long durability). There are at least
the following issues:
1. Longevity of most of the printed and hand-written texts on herbarium labels is not
infinite. Constituents of many a conventional writing material decompose relatively fast, so
they lose their original colour and contrast. Black markers, inkers and ball-pens become
brownish-gray, the blue ones redden, become pinkish or very pale. During this process they
also usually vanish in the paper, so a wider and wider blue hue is observed on the paper
around all characters. The process starts immediately and its results may become substantial
even 3 years after writing down the information.
The same remarks concern at least some popular and cheap inks for computer inkjet
printers. Such ink-printing is not water-resistant. The print can be easily affected by water, so
we can suspect that the increased humidity of paper can start or accelerate such processes too.
Therefore for ink-printing herbarium labels (and other important data) there are recommended
special archival printer-inks, available in trade.
Good quality pen inks hold their colours, but many of them contain acidic ingredients and
some microelements (Fe, Cr etc.). Hence they not only initiate the processes of chemical
acidic decomposition of cellulose in paper, but also enable development of bacteria and
microscopic fungi, because they deliver that ions to these microorganisms (SZOSTAK-

243
SCRIPRA FACULTATIS RERUM NATURALIUM ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES
UNIVERSITATIS OSTRAVIENSIS, 186, 2008 AND BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IV

KOTOWA 2001). Too many types of pen inks make the proper choice of writing material
difficult. Ageing processes can make the label both illegible and extremely fragile.
The process of diffusion of ink constituents is a serious problem also in printed adhesive
labels, especially in barcode adhesive labels which are widely used. Dense liquid glues slowly
dissolve some constituents of inks so the white bars in the barcode become for example violet.
The contrast decreases so the code may become unrecognizable for the barcode scanners.
A really permanent black colour in the conventional writing materials is the colour of
coal (C). The native coal is relatively low-reactive, it does not dissolve in water and does not
oxidize spontaneously. It is present in sheer pencils as graphite, and in draft inks as soot. In
other words, such coal containing materials are eternally black. The pencil script is permanent
unless it is intentionally destroyed by erasing it with a rubber. Pencil scripts are still present
and legible in oldest herbaria including Linnaean specimens.
Laser prints and xerographic copies (printed or photocopied labels) are supposed to be
relatively permanent, although this statement must be regarded as a hypothesis, because this
technique of printing is relatively young (DROBNIK 2007). The toners consist mostly of
black polymers which are bend to the paper. This substance is a solid and is melted (not
dissolved) during the process of printing, hence the potential diffusion to the printing paper as
well as within a layer of glue, is minimal.
2. Acid-free (pH-neutral or alkaline) papers and glues are highly recommended for
herbarium. Most of the papers produced between 1850 and early 1990’s are acidic ones
(SZOSTAK-KOTOWA 2001, ZYSKA 1995). They become fragile and yellow in
consequence of lignin oxidation and changes in the structure of cellulose chains (ZYSKA
1995).
3. The use of white glues (e.g. Elmer’s glue) for mounting herbarium specimens
(strapping, gluing) is still a subject of discussion. White, plant derived, water soluble glue is a
very convenient material for mounting specimens. Nowadays glues are widely used both in
Archer method (mounting specimens to the herbarium sheet with narrow strips of paper) and
in gluing (pasting) the whole specimen to the sheet. However, some scientists persuade that
the use of such glue means delivering a perfect growth medium (nourishing substance) for
some herbarium bacteria, and we still cannot predict the potential effects of developing
bacterial colonies in the glue for the whole herbarium. This may be a serious undesirable
effect, especially when the air humidity in the herbarium rooms increase incidentally. Thus
some herbaria chose the difficult and more expensive technique of pinning of specimens with
steel pins instead of mounting them with glued paper strips. The glue must not decompose to
acidic products either.
International trade symbol of archival materials (papers, cardboards, inks, glues etc.) is
the infinity sign (Š).

Herbarium pest infestations

The following insects are dangerous herbarium pests in the climate of Central Europe:
drugstore beetle Stegobium paniceum (= Sitoderpa panicea, the most common and the most
dangerous); tobacco beetle (also named a cigarette beetle) Lasioderma serricorne; furniture
beetle Anobium punctatum (= A. domesticum, A. striatum); Khapra beetle Trogoderma
granarium and other Trogoderma species; white marked spider-beetle Ptinus fur and indian
meal moth Plodia interpunctella (= Tinea zeae).
1. Former use of toxic fumigants and repellents tended to make herbarium specimens and
papers toxic or at least inedible for animals. But the general real effect is that they still remain
harmful for humans, even if they are aromatically inoffensive. Herbarium staff is especially

244
SCRIPRA FACULTATIS RERUM NATURALIUM ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES
UNIVERSITATIS OSTRAVIENSIS, 186, 2008 AND BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IV

exposed to the contaminated paper. They suffer from toxic compounds of mercury, arsenic,
potassium cyanide, as well as pesticides, which penetrate skin of hands, and are also inhaled.
Chronological list of chemicals – simple poisons and advanced synthetic pesticides –
which have been used in herbarium collections since mid-18th till the end of 20th century is
relatively long: HgCl2, As2O3, KCN, CS2, CCl4, naphthalene, DDT, lindane, PDB, LPCP,
DDVP (STERN et al. 1968, FORMAN & BRIDSON 1988, HAWKS et al. 2001, 2004).
Remnants of all of them are still present in all parts of old herbaria. Two of these repellents,
PDB (p-DCB, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, formerly called paradichlorobenzene) and naphthalene
are still used in some collections though they are far inefficient and harmful for humans.
The only reasonable contemporary solution to protect herbarium specimens and
herbarium paper against insects and moulds mostly lies in regulation of the microclimate in
herbarium rooms. Recommended temperature and humidity conditions are given below.
The most powerful method of fighting the pest infestations is the use of vacuum chamber.
The use of ultra-violet light (UV) or microwave heating of specimens are definitely forbidden.
They proved to decompose the cellulose. Their effect to specimens and paper is nothing else
but rapid ageing of cellulose and lignin. The former use of toxic fumes or UV lamps seriously
and quickly reduced the flexibility of the paper and dried plants.
Use of most poisons, UV light and microwave heating damages also the DNA of
specimens, so they become useless for the purposes of genetic research (e.g. PCR technique)
and as the source of diaspores for culturing and reintroduction of plants (KIGAWA & al.
2003).
2. Excrements of herbarium insects are especially irritant to the respiratory system of
humans. A longer work with partially eaten specimens, which are contaminated with fine
powder of insect faeces may cause violent allergic reactions in most people (DROBNIK
2007).
Collections of bryophytes and some pteridophytes (e.g. Lycopodium) are the only parts of
herbarium which do not undergo insect and mould infestations.

Summary of modern herbarium protection techniques

1. The basic way of protecting herbaria against herbarium pests and moulds is the maintaining
and monitoring of temperature and humidity in rooms. Air temperature of 18 °C prevents the
full metamorphosis of all herbarium insects, while the chill of 13 °C prevents even the
hatching of insects from eggs (RUMBALL & PINNIGER 2003). Such temperatures decrease
also the motoric activity of insect larvae and imagines. Low relative humidity of air (RH)
(less than 55%, in practice between 50–60%) or temperature below 18 °C stop growth of
herbarium moulds. Such conditions are successfully continuously maintained in more and
more herbaria and no negative effects to specimens have been observed so far (RUMBALL &
PINNIGER 2003).
2. If the abovementioned conditions cannot be maintained, the standard protection
procedures is freezing of all herbarium specimens. The limits of temperature and time were
widely experimentally tested. Many herbaria and museums use temperature range from –18
°C to –32 °C (CARTER & WALKER 1999) during various periods of time. Most authors
agree that –30 °C during 72 hours is the best solution (STRANG 1992, RUMBALL &
PINNIGER 2003), although already the temperature of –20 °C kills all life stages (eggs,
larvae, imagines) of the most dangerous and commonest herbarium pest, S. paniceum
(GILBERG & BROKERHOF 1991). One should remember that large boxes or fascicles of
specimens are better insulated against the frost than loose or small-volume material. In this

245
SCRIPRA FACULTATIS RERUM NATURALIUM ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES
UNIVERSITATIS OSTRAVIENSIS, 186, 2008 AND BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IV

case longer exposure periods are needed. The freezing period must be longer also in the case
of large-volume specimens of wood (in xylarium) and fungi.
Alternatively there was proposed the use of vacuum chambers. Vacuum destroys all
living protoplasts in animal, fungal and even bacterial cells, in fungal spores etc. This method
seems to be the most efficient. The fault of use frost is that the water vapour condensates on
the surface of frozen paper and must be evaporated before the specimens go back to the
collection (DROBNIK 2007). Otherwise the herbarium gets wet and mildews very soon.
These procedures are compulsory for specimens newly accessioned to the herbarium, as
well as for the material which is returned after loans.
3. Regardless to the protection procedures all herbarium specimens must be spot-checked,
i.e. randomly selected for check in order to detect moisture, moulds and insects.

References

Carter D., Walker A. K. 1999: Care and conservations of Natural History Collections. Blutterworth &
Heinemann. Oxford.
Drobnik J. 2007: Zielnik I zielnikoznawstwo [Herbarium and herbariology]. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN
S.A., Warszawa [in Polish].
Forman L. & Bridson D. 1988: The Herbarium Handbook, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Gilberg M. & Brokerhof A. 1991: The Control of Insect Pests in Museum Collections: The Effects of Low
temperature on Stegobium paniceum L., the Drugstore Beetle. J. Amer. Instit. Conserv. 30(2): 197–201.
Hawks C. 2001: Historical survey of the sources of contamination of ethnographic materials in museum
collections, Collection Forum 16(1–2): 2–11.
Hawks C., Makos K., Bell D., Wambach P. F. & Burroughs G. E. 2004: An inexpensive method to test for
mercury vapor in herbarium cabinets. Taxon 53(3): 783–790.
Kigawa R., Nochide H., Kimura H. & Miura S. 2003: Effects of various fumigants, thermal methods and carbon
dioxide treatment on DNA extraction and amplification: a case study on freeze-dried mushroom and
freeze-dried muscle specimens. Collection Forum 18(1–2): 74–89.
Metsger D. A. & Byers S. C. 1999 (eds.): Managing the Modern Herbarium. An Interdisciplinary Approach.
Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), Elton-Wolf Publishing, Vancouver.
Rumball N. & Pinniger D. 2003, Use of temperature to control an infestation of biscuit or drugstore beetle
Stegobium paniceum (L.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) in a large Economy Botanic Collection. Collection
Forum 18(1–2): 50–58.
Stern W. L., Gillenwater H. B., Eason G., Garcia-Quintana A. & Cail R. S. 1968: Lindane and Dichlorvos for
Protection of Herbarium Specimens against Insects. Taxon 17(6): 629–632.
Strang T. J. K. 1992: A review of published temperatures for the control of insect pests in museums. Collection
Forum 8(2): 41–67.
Szostak-Kotowa J. 2001: Mikrobiologiczne zagrozenia papieru [Microbiological threats of paper], [in:] Kwasny
papier. Zagrozenie zbiorow bibliotecznych i archiwalnych [Acid paper. Threats of library and archival
collections], eds. T. €ojewski & Z. Pietrzyk. Biblioteka Jagiellonska, Ksiegarnia Akademicka, Krakow,
pp. 155–167 [in Polish].
Zyska B. 1995: Kwasny papier. Zagrozenie dla drukow XIX i XX wieku [Acid paper. Threat to the 19th- and
20th-century prints]. Wojewodzka Biblioteka Publiczna, Katowice [in Polish].

Jacek Drobnik
Department of Pharmaceutical Botany,
Medical University of Silesia, ul. Ostrogorska 30,
PL–41–200 Sosnowiec, Poland
e-mail: drobnik@onet.pl

246

View publication stats