Herbarium Policy
For detailed instructions for researchers wishing to use the herbarium, please CLICK HERE.
Plant identification service Submitting dried and pressed specimens Plant specimens sent to the Rocky Mountain Herbarium may be fresh or pressed and dried prior to shipping. For a guide to the pressing/drying of specimens, CLICK HERE. This document also provides additional reference on field and herbarium techniques, sources of collecting and herbarium supplies, a bibliography of floras useful for plant identification in Wyoming, samples of label information, and a formatted label. Where possible quality specimens are appreciated in exchange for identifications and data to be added to the collection.
Submitting fresh specimens Fresh plant specimens can be sent for identification through the mail. This process works well for grasses and herbaceous plants. First remove soil from the roots or cut off a segment of flowering stem, wrap a moist paper towel or napkin around the base, and place the specimen in a ziplock bag. Squeeze out any air. Do not add water to the bag. Place dried and pressed or fresh specimens into a mailing envelope with collection data and return address (phone#, email address) and send it to: Ronald L. Hartman, Curator E-mail: rhartman@uwyo.edu OR B. E. (Ernie) Nelson, Herbarium Manager E-mail: bnelsonn@uwyo.edu Rocky Mountain Herbarium; Department of Botany, 3165; University of Wyoming; 1000 E University Ave.; Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307/766-2236; FAX: 307/766-2851
The specimens of the RM are available for scientific study not only by researchers visiting the facility (CLICK HERE for visitor information), but also via loans to accredited institutions. Generally, loans are made for taxonomic or floristic research only, but exceptions may be made for other kinds of botanical investigations.
Loan Requests A loan request must be in writing (e-mail acceptable) from the director or primary curator of the institution where the specimens will be stored. It should be sent to Ron Hartman, curator. The following information should be provided: 1) the name and status of the researcher requesting the material; 2) the name of the study, its geographic scope (if restricted in area); 3) the taxa requested, including synonyms (one list with accepted names and synonyms in alphabetical order); and 4) the basionyms for any relevant type specimens. Loans of specimens (including types) are made for a period of one year. Requests for loan extensions should be addressed in writing (e-mail acceptable) to the curator. While on loan, specimens must be housed in sealed herbarium cases and handled according to accepted herbarium practice. We recognize that a limited amount of dissection may be necessary for some kinds of research. We request that dissections be kept to a minimum. All material dissected from a specimen must be placed in a fragment packet affixed to the sheet. Any need for destructive sampling (e.g., removal of seeds, pollen, DNA, etc.) must be explained in writing (e-mail acceptable) to the curator. The researcher is expected to annotate all material with annotation labels glued to the sheet above or near the original label, if possible. The annotation label must be legible in permanent ink, and should include the taxon name, investigator’s name and institution, and date of determination. Type specimens should be annotated with basionym, citation of protologue, and status of type (holotype, isotype, etc.).
The herbarium has exchanges with more than 71 herbaria, most in North America but 13 in Europe and one in Asia. The degree of activity varies with institution and when we have time to assemble sets of specimens. Our most active exchanges emphasize the Rockies and western North America, but we are interested in arctic/alpine specimens throughout the northern hemisphere. Due to the tremendous number of duplicates from recent floristic inventories throughout the Rockies and limited space for expansion, we are more interested in finding institutions willing to accept material on a donation basis. At most, we can afford a 10 percent rate of return. Back to Top
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