THE HERBARIUM TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACT

Collection, processing and classification of plant leaves specimens covering eight (8) families of plants with eight different species was done. This technique was done to establish a herbanum for the biology laboratory of Science Laboratory Technology, IMT Enugu at its Campus 3. Of the eight families covered, six were monocotyledon and these were families of euphobiareae, myrtaceae, gramineae, mehaceae and composite. While two others were of dicotyledons families, papilionacea and papilionaea and all these were angiosperm. The plant specimens were systematically lodged in the herbarium cabinet in which they were appropriately labeled for future use. The procedure and technique involves careful collection of plant specimens, laying of the specimens, pressing, drying, mounting, identification, documentation and storage of the plant specimens (leaves).

CHAPTER ONE

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND INFORMATION

According to clamber land (1994), herbarium can simply be defined as a collection of dried, preserved and pressed plant specimens which are arranged systematically, serving as a taxonomic reference of plants for their identification and classification. He further defines it as a repository of preserved and labeled plant specimen to allow easy access and archival storage. The herbarium is useful for research identification of plants and for comparison of materials with previous collection. It is also a growing source of knowledge about the vegetation of an area. Its effectiveness and value depend on the care with which the specimens are preserved, mounted, completeness of identifications, labeling, satisfactory arrangement and maintenance of the collection.

Dried and mounted specimens are stored in cabinets with tight fitting doors. The storage cabinet is provided with partitions in which the families of plants may be arranged in alphabetical order or (more usually) in some presumed phylogenetic order. The specimens are typically in form of herbarium sheets, pressed and dried plants have been glued to a sheet of heavy paper, together with a labeled data. The label describes useful information, which include the plants Latin name, the origin of the collection, the data of collection, and the name of the collector. Within the cabinet, the specimens are arranged according to the family, genes and species they represent, as well as the geographic location from which they were collected.

1.2              AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

AIM

Construction of a herbarium

OBJECTIVES

It includes:

(i)      To construct a herbarium.

(ii)     To identify plants to there species levels

(iii)       To collect plants of agricultural and medicinal interest within our locality.

1.3     STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Since, the already constructed herbarium in the biology laboratory of science laboratory technology, IMT Enugu is old, and the collected plant specimens are destroyed by termites and other pests, therefore there is need to collect new plants specimen. To have an update collection of plant specimens that is properly classified for further references.

1.4     HYPOTHESIS

HO    :         Herbarium construction provides information within our locality.

H1     :         Herbarium construction does not provide information within our locality.

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this project study is that, this research will provide an up to date herbarium for the biology laboratory of science technology department IMT Enugu.

1.6     LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Plant collection and identification are limited to agricultural and medicinal plants of local interest.