Members of the public are welcome to use the facilities of the Intermountain Herbarium for plant identification during normal business hours (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5 pm). You are encouraged to contact the staff prior to arrival, but this is only essential if you wish to be able to work outside these hours.
Facilities available to visitors include dissecting microscopes, floras for most of North America, standard dissecting tools, a plant dryer, and many topographic maps. Press materials are available if requested in advance and not needed by personnel associated with Utah State University.
Guides (How To)
- Herbarium Specimen Flyer (.pdf) - This .pdf file provides general information on making herbarium specimens.
- Learning and Teaching Resources - This site explains how to collect specimens, make field notes, and prepare specimens.
- Collecting plant material for DNA studies - This page provides information on preparing CTAB for preserving plant material and the reasons for using it.
Vouchers and Specimen Preparation
- Vouchers and tissues intended for genomic work:
- Best practices (Smithsonian)
- Video of collecting samples for DNA
- Plant specimens for Herbarium (University of Florida)
Classes of Type Specimens
Holotype: The person(s) first proposing the name stated which specimen was to be regarded as the type specimen. Current rules require that one state exactly which specimens one means and identify the herbarium in which it has been deposited.
Lectotype: The person(s) who first proposed the name did not designate a type specimen (this was legal prior to 1958) so someone else did so later. There are (as you might expect) strong recommendations about how one selects a lectotype. To find out more, consult the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
Neotype: Sometimes holotypes and lectotypes are lost or destroyed. The most notorious instance of this was the destruction of all the types in the Berlin herbarium by allied bombing during World War II. When a holotype or lectotype ihas been destroyed or lost, a replacement specimen can be designated as the type specimen. The replacement type is called a newtype. And yes, there are some recommendations as to how neotypes should be selected.
Epitypes: Sometimes it is found that the existing type of a name does not have the features needed to distinguish it from other species. This happens sometimes when the original type specimen was a drawing (no longer legal except for fossils) or when it was not appreciated that what was being called a single spcies is actually two or more different species. In these circumstances, an epitype can be designated for the existing name. It must be consistent with the original use of the name. This then permits other specimens to be selected as the types for other names. Obviously, the specimen selected as an epitype should show all the characteristics currently used to distinguish the taxon involved from the taxa with which it had been confused.
Syntypes: In the bad old days when it was not necessary to list an individual specimen as a type, many taxonomists simply listed several specimens that they considered should be called by their new name. These specimens all have equal standing so far as being types are concerned and are called syntypes. Syntypes are sometimes called cotypes.
Paratypes: If a taxonomist lists several specimens as representing his new name but designates one of these specimens as the holotype, the non-holotype specimens are paratypes.
Isotypes: These are simply duplicates of a type specimen. They become important if the holo-, lecto-, neo-, or epitype is destroyed because they are the first choice as a replacement type (a neoneotype? theoretically possible).
Topotypes: Specimens collected from the same location as a type specimen. They have no nomenclatural significance.
Important Dates In Nomenclature
| Date | Article Number(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1935 | 36 | Must use Latin for extant vascular plants |
| January 1, 1953 | 30.1, 30.3, 30.4 | Publication in various kinds of ephemeral works is not allowed |
| January 1, 1953 | 32.4, 33.2 | Must provide full and direct citation of basionym |
| January 1, 1953 | 34.2 | If an author publishes two or more names simultaneously for same taxon, all are invalid |
| January 1, 1953 | 35.1, 35.2 | Must provide clear indication of rank; unranked names published earlier are valid but have no standing so far as priority is concerned |
| January 1, 1958 | 36.2 | Names of non-fossil algae must be published in Latin |
| January 1, 1958 | 37.1 | Must indicate the type of a new name or new combination |
| January 1, 1958 | 39.1 | Names of new species or infraspecies of non-fossil algae must include an illustration or figure showing the distinctive features |
| January 1, 1959 | 28, note 2 | Names of cultivars must be fancy names (lovely phrase), not resembling standard Latin epithets |
| January 1, 1973 | 30.3 | Can no longer use seed exchange lists for publication |
| January 1, 1973 | 45.1 | Effective date of publication is the date on which the last of the requirements was satisfied |
| January 1, 1988 | 14.2 | Became possible to conserve names of species in the interests of stability |
| January 1, 1990 | 9.14, 37.4, 37.5 | Must specify the herbarium or institution in which type is conserved and include the word 'type' or 'holotype' in designation of type material |
| January 1, 1996 | 36.3 | Names of fossil plants must have a Latin or English description |
| January 1, 2001 | 7.11 | Must include the phrase "here designated" when designating a lectotype or neotype |
External Resources
These have been divided into Utah, Intermountain Region, North America, Global, and Digital Libraries.
Utah
Intermountain Region
North America (primarily USA)
- National PLANTS Database (USA)
- Flora of North America
- Celebrating Wildflowers (USDA Forest Service)
- Bryophyte Flora of North America
Global
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility | Specimen Database
- International Plant Names Index
- Index Herbariorum
- Tropicos
Botanical Digital Libraries
Annual Reports
Goals, Plans, and Reports
These reports are prepared for the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station each year. They reflect activities from December 1 - November 30 and are developed according to a rather standard format.