herbarium

Collection of dried, pressed plants used as an aid to identification of unknown plants and by taxonomists in the classification of plants. The plant specimens are accompanied by information, such as the date and place of collection, by whom collected, details of habitat, flower colour, and local names.

Herbaria range from small collections containing plants of a limited region, to the large university and national herbaria (some at botanical gardens) containing millions of specimens from all parts of the world.