measuring herbarium specimens

[rjensen at SAINTMARYS.EDU]

Depends on how long it is.  A flexible ruler can be used unless it is really tightly curved.  You can always fit a piece of string to the curve and measure the string.  And, there is a gizmo (I can't recall the name) that has a little wheel that keeps track of distance as it is rolled along (just like the ones used by surveyors).  I once used such a device to record lengths of shorelines from maps (too many years ago to want to count).  Or, you can get a digitizing tablet with a "mouse" that will let you trace lines and store the length of the traced line.

Cheers,

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan B. Farmer" <sfarmer at GOLDSWORD.COM>
Date: Monday, July 11, 2005 5:08 pm
Subject: measuring herbarium specimens

> I'm preparing to measure some herbarium specimens.  What's the
> best way to
> measure a stem if it's been pressed as a curve rather than a
> straight line?
>
> Thanks,
> Susan
> -----
> Susan Farmer
> sfarmer at goldsword.com
> University of Tennessee
> Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
> http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/Trillium/
>