Plants Digitized in Herbaria: The Future of Botanical Research
- The Economic Botanist
- May 23
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 7
"In the world of plants, every leaf, stem, and flower hold a story. By digitizing these stories, we open a window into the future of botanical research, where science meets innovation." – The Economic Botanist
Imagine walking into a library, but instead of books, it's filled with thousands of plant specimens. Some are dried leaves, some are flowers preserved in glass, and some are whole plants. This is the essence of a herbarium: a treasure chest of plant life from around the world.
For centuries, these collections have been essential for understanding the natural world, guiding botanical research, and even helping with the identification of new species.
But as amazing as these collections are, they’re not always easy to access or share. That’s where digitization comes in, and it’s revolutionizing the world of botany.
In this post, we’ll explore how digitizing herbaria is changing the game for botanical research and why it’s so crucial for the future of plant science. You’ll learn about the challenges of traditional herbaria, the benefits of going digital, and how cutting-edge technologies like AI are making it all possible.
Whether you're a plant enthusiast or a professional researcher, this shift toward digital herbaria will impact you—and the environment—in ways you might not expect. Let’s dive in!
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On this page
1. What is a Herbarium and Why is it Important?
2. The Challenges of Traditional Herbaria
3. The Benefits of Digitizing Herbaria
4. How Are Plants Digitized in Herbaria?
5. The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Digitization
6. The Future of Digital Herbariums in Botanical Research
7. Case Studies: Successful Digital Herbarium Projects
8. How Digitized Herbaria Are Impacting Plant Science Innovation
9. The Global Impact of Digital Herbaria
1. What is a Herbarium and Why is it Important?
Before we get into the exciting world of digital herbaria, it’s important to understand what a herbarium actually is.
A herbarium is a collection of plant specimens that have been preserved, typically by drying, pressing (Buy a plant press on Amazon), and mounting them on paper. These specimens are crucial for botanists because they serve as the “reference library” of plant life. When researchers encounter a new plant, they compare it with the specimens in the herbarium to identify and classify it.
Herbaria are often located in botanical gardens, museums, or universities, and they hold millions of plant samples from around the world. Each specimen tells a story of where it grew, when it was collected, and sometimes even how it fits into the wider ecosystem. Think of it like a global record of plant biodiversity.
Why is this important?
Plant identification: Herbaria help scientists identify plants accurately, often leading to the discovery of new species.
Biodiversity monitoring: They help track how plant species are changing over time, which is key for understanding the impacts of climate change.
Conservation efforts: By preserving plant specimens, herbariums ensure that even rare or endangered plants are saved for future research.
As you can see, herbaria play a big role in understanding the natural world. But there’s a problem—they’re not always easy to access, and physical space can be limited. This is where digitization comes in.
Fun Fact: Herbarium specimens can be used for DNA analysis! Even dried plants from centuries ago can yield genetic material, helping researchers study evolution and relationships between species. 🧪🌿🔬 |
2. The Challenges of Traditional Herbaria
While herbaria are invaluable resources, they come with some pretty hefty challenges. Let’s break it down:
Space limitations: Herbaria are often packed into large, climate-controlled rooms. As more plants are discovered and collected, the need for more space grows.
Physical damage: Handling specimens too often or improper storage can damage delicate plant samples. Over time, this can lead to the loss of important historical data.
Limited accessibility: If you’re a researcher or student, getting access to a herbarium isn’t always easy. Some herbaria may be tucked away in remote locations, and not all of them have the resources to share their collections with the global scientific community.
Time-consuming research: Searching through stacks of plant specimens manually is time-consuming, and there’s always the risk of human error.
With these limitations in mind, it’s clear that something needs to change. Digitizing herbaria solves many of these issues, and it’s helping to move botanical research into the future.
Boost Your Brain: Curated Books for You Herbarium: The Quest to Preserve and Classify the World's Plants by Barbara M. Thiers. This books explains how herbarium collections are key to understanding how the world’s flora is changing and addressing global challenges like climate change. Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/43wVrUR The Herbarium Handbook Paperback by Nina M. J. Davies et al. This books is a reference for herbarium collections care and management. Based on standard herbarium practices and personal experience from experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the book also draws on examples from partners and collaborators around the world, making it accessible and adaptable for all herbarium practitioners. Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4dxt900 In the Herbarium: The Hidden World of Collecting and Preserving Plants by Maura C. Flannery. This book traces the rich history of herbaria, from early botanists to modern digitization, highlighting their scientific, cultural, and artistic value to both experts and everyday nature lovers. Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/43l9ifL |
3. The Benefits of Digitizing Herbaria
Digitizing plant specimens has a ton of advantages. Here’s a breakdown of the most important benefits:
a. Increased Accessibility
One of the biggest advantages of digital herbaria is that they’re accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Researchers, educators, and even plant enthusiasts can explore digital collections online, which means they can do research without having to travel long distances or request access to physical specimens.
b. Enhanced Preservation
Digitizing specimens means that their information is safely stored in a digital format, preventing degradation over time. Plus, there’s no risk of physical damage from handling or environmental factors like humidity, which can be tough on delicate plant material.
c. Faster Research and Data Analysis
When plant specimens are digitized, researchers can search through the database much faster than sifting through physical collections. This makes it easier to find the plants they need and analyze their data more efficiently, saving time and energy.
d. Collaboration Across Borders
Digitized herbariums can be shared across the world, allowing scientists to collaborate more easily. Instead of working in isolation, researchers can compare data, share findings, and work together on projects that span continents.
e. Contributing to Conservation Efforts
With digital herbaria, scientists can more effectively track plant biodiversity and monitor the health of different species. This helps in identifying plants that may be endangered or at risk due to climate change or habitat loss.
4. How Are Plants Digitized in Herbaria?
Now, let’s talk about how the magic happens. The process of digitizing a plant specimen involves several steps:
Step 1: Scanning or Imaging
Herbarium specimens are scanned or photographed using high-resolution cameras or flatbed scanners. Some collections even use 3D scanning to capture more detailed images of three-dimensional specimens like branches or flowers.
Step 2: Data Entry
The specimen’s metadata, including details like species, date of collection, and geographical location, is then entered into a database. This helps researchers easily identify and search for specimens later on.
Step 3: Uploading to a Digital Repository
Once the images and data are ready, they’re uploaded to a cloud-based herbarium platform. This allows people from all over the world to access the specimens and data anytime they need them.
Step 4: Analysis and Research
With everything in a digital format, researchers can analyze the data with powerful tools like AI, machine learning, and geographic information systems (GIS) to uncover new insights about plant species and their environments.
5. The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Digitization
AI and machine learning are playing an exciting role in the world of digitized herbaria. These technologies can help researchers identify plants more accurately, automate data entry, and even detect patterns that might not be obvious at first glance.
For example, AI can compare digital images of plants with a large database of known species and make predictions about what plant it is. This helps researchers quickly identify unknown plants in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods.
6. The Future of Digital Herbaria in Botanical Research
The future of botanical research is digital, and herbaria are at the heart of this transformation. As more specimens are digitized, the accessibility and efficiency of plant research will continue to improve.
This will lead to:
Greater global collaboration: With plant data being more accessible, international research partnerships will grow stronger.
Faster species identification: AI will make it even easier to identify new species and monitor changes in plant populations.
Improved conservation efforts: Digital herbaria will help track endangered species and improve conservation strategies.
7. Case Studies: Successful Digital Herbarium Projects
Around the world, several herbaria are leading the way in digitization:
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: One of the most well-known botanical institutions, Kew is digitizing its vast collection of plant specimens and making them accessible online.
Missouri Botanical Garden: This herbarium has been digitizing its specimens for years, providing an invaluable resource for plant research globally.
The New York Botanical Garden: Their digital herbarium allows researchers worldwide to explore more than 7 million plant specimens.
8. How Digitized Herbaria Are Impacting Plant Science Innovation
Digitized herbariums aren’t just helping botanists—they’re also influencing other areas of plant science:
Plant breeding: With easy access to plant genetic data, scientists can develop new, more resilient crops.
Ecology: Ecologists can study plant distributions and ecosystems more efficiently, helping to conserve biodiversity.
Pharmaceuticals: Researchers can look at plant specimens for medicinal properties, aiding in the development of new drugs.
9. The Global Impact of Digital Herbaria
One of the most exciting and meaningful impacts of digital herbaria is how they are opening doors for researchers around the world—especially in developing countries and remote regions. In the past, many scientists and students simply didn’t have access to physical herbarium collections. These are often housed in major universities or botanical institutions located in wealthier nations, and visiting them usually requires funding, travel, and time—luxuries that not every researcher has.
Digitization is changing that.
Now, with just an internet connection, people from all over the world can view high-resolution images of rare plant specimens, access associated metadata, and even download geolocation and phenological data. This means a student in Kenya, a conservationist in the Philippines, or a forest ecologist in Peru can work with the same data as someone at a major institution in Europe or North America. That’s a big deal. It helps level the playing field by removing barriers to entry in scientific research and encouraging more inclusive, global collaboration.
Digital herbaria also make it easier to study local flora in places where resources may be limited. For example, by accessing global herbarium databases, researchers can compare their own findings with similar specimens collected decades or even centuries ago. This supports everything from plant identification to climate change studies, and it empowers local scientists to lead research efforts in their own regions instead of relying solely on outside experts.
In addition, these open-access digital archives foster international collaboration. Scientists can co-author papers, verify findings, and share data seamlessly, regardless of where they’re based. This kind of knowledge-sharing strengthens the global scientific community and helps ensure that biodiversity research is truly a team effort.
At the heart of it, digital herbaria aren’t just about storing plant specimens—they’re about democratizing science, expanding access, and making sure that valuable botanical knowledge reaches the people and places that need it most.
10. How to Access and Use Digital Herbaria
So, how can you get involved with this exciting shift? Many digital herbariums are open to the public, and you can start exploring them today. A few places to check out include:
Herbarium websites from institutions like the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew or the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Digital herbarium platforms like GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility), which offer free access to plant data from across the globe.
11. The Bottom Line
The digitization of herbaria is more than just a technological shift; it’s a game-changer for botanical research. It opens up new avenues for collaboration, speeds up scientific discovery, and helps preserve plant biodiversity for future generations.
So, the next time you encounter a plant—whether in your backyard or a tropical rainforest—remember that the digital herbarium revolution is helping scientists understand and protect our world in ways we never thought possible.
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Want to explore the world of digital herbariums yourself? Check out some of the resources we mentioned, and dive into the fascinating world of plant research. Who knows, you might just discover a new species!
Science Reading
Herbarium collections remain essential in the age of community science: This study shows that digitized herbarium specimens, though fewer in number, capture plant diversity and environmental data more effectively than community science observations like those from iNaturalist. Explore the study here
Digitization of the oldest botanical collection in Ukraine (LW Herbarium): a case study: This study highlights the urgent need to digitize herbarium collections. It focuses on efforts to virtually preserve two historic 19th-century collections at the LW Herbarium in Lviv containing valuable type specimens. Read more here
Strengthening Partnerships to Safeguard the Future of Herbaria: This article emphasizes the growing importance of herbaria in documenting global plant life and the transformative role of digitization in expanding their accessibility and scientific use. It calls for stronger collaboration, viewing herbaria as a unified global resource, and encourages proactive involvement in conservation and interdisciplinary research through data integration and teamwork. Learn about this article here
Machine Learning Using Digitized Herbarium Specimens to Advance Phenological Research: The article examines how machine learning techniques applied to digitized herbarium specimens can advance the study of plant phenology, offering insights into ecological patterns and climate change impacts. Explore the study here |
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