Because populations of many native plants have been dramatically reduced over the years, the concern to keep a record of each plant species in Belize has grown ever more important. In this light, this week Caves Branch Botanical Garden is hosting and collaborating with ten Marie Selby Botanical Garden volunteers, the Environmental Research Institute of the University of Belize and Forest Department of Belize. These volunteers are spending an entire week at Caves Branch Lodge with the main focus to update, sort out, data base and catalogue hundreds of dried plant specimens that have been collected over the years. Plant collections were made by botanists, scientists of other disciplines, and citizen scientists in order to document their research and interest. The project which started as a joint venture with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens over two years ago, saw the collection of epiphytes such as Orchids, ferns and other plants as botanists saw a rapid decline in these plant species. As time passed, botanists realized the need to assist the Belize National Herbarium in enhancing and updating their dried plant specimen libraries.
This week alone, hundreds of dried specimens have been mounted, labelled and are being data based. At the time of collection, the collector takes notes in a field-log about the possible identity of the plant, where and when it was collected, habitat characteristics including soil type and other plant associates, flower color, scent, size, habit of the plant, and any other pertinent information that may not be obtainable from the resultant specimen. After drying, the plant is mounted on acid-free paper with a label providing the name and classification of the plant as well as all collection data. After mounting, herbarium specimens are stored in special cabinets and are filed in order by taxonomic group and then by geographic origin. Of the hundreds of specimens, the oldest specimen was collected in 1926 and the most recent in 2016.
These preserved plant specimens will provide the Forest Department with important information about plant diversity and distribution, in a relatively permanent, and verifiable form that serves as evidence of a plant’s existence in time and space. If these specimens are properly preserved and maintained, they can last for well over 200 years. In a time where we are experiencing rapid habitat loss, the Herbarium will provide important repositories for these sorts of data, and ensure their availability for future research.
It is the premise that these Herbarium specimens will last hundreds of years if properly cared for and the Forest Department is committed in providing a secure and easily accessible collection for scientific research. These volunteers have provided an invaluable service to the conservation and education of the diverse flora found in the country of Belize.
