Oldest existing herbarium specimen

[Thomas G. Lammers]

At 02:07 PM 07-25-97 -0600, Mary Barkworth wrote:
>Does anyone know how old the oldest existing herbarium specimen is?  And,
>of course, what additional information is there about it (e.g., where, of
>what, by whom).

Luca Ghini (1490? - 1556) professor of botany at University of Bologna is
identified as the originator of the practice in "The Herbarium Handbook"
ed. by L. Forman & D. Bridson (RBG Kew, 1989).


Thomas G. Lammers

Classification, Nomenclature, Phylogeny and Biogeography
of the Campanulaceae, s. lat.

Department of Botany
Field Museum of Natural History
Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605-2496 USA

e-mail:     lammers at fmppr.fmnh.org
voice mail: 312-922-9410 ext. 317

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