![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8odT1-0VeptkzVT4jH2yZyFNlcE1T7EhMeKHNbUEIUbL9tXdCB-uGU5xxDf9uYJTvmbJSpOv_IGNCST6Kh_b47h37JyW2jNdjyHwlq4sVsOUE2TbKFb6CmB9g3f3QEmfCCwS5Q/s320/8620.rbg.herbarium.jpg)
Here's the area of the herbarium where I worked. It's right on the main traffic route so I was lucky to have some solitude on Tuesday to get so much done.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4dVHSTAHZuSPPsje7U4ZEGky6BRNhm_0uuoMLHi5CtA6aV6nYY5M-NP2CQ6aDqJhIiw63V2m15w-lXhMpSfIbAEaq2VOVqee1fQIoTqEuQN-jSwwSN9uLVaOz7D8_w7qvjXIvg/s320/8619.rbg.herbarium.workstation.jpg)
I used a photo copy stand to take the photos of herbarium sheets. Those coin envelopes are what I used for tissue samples.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabYY2Mc4RUBGz46SMmQQ0DR69lKEObVBuZWiRVZ-PCFAIUd4XAAJN85vDXJcUEsnFb_FFI7BsFvmiHwH2v9A4O3IAycZiF6bBiYtZjR-h0vv78fsvVBGP2Io8_2I_DvGAxF9SzQ/s320/8609.Euphrasia+collina+ssp+collina.jpg)
Here's an example of a herbarium sheet that has important data to record. This is a collection of Euphrasia collina ssp collina collected by William Barker. He wrote a revision of the genus in 1982 and his collections are particularly important for me to examine to get a feel for the taxonomy he worked out for the group. I didn't reduce the photo size so if you click on the image you can read the label pretty clearly and get a feel for how good of condition this specimen is in. I photographed about 400 sheets of Euphrasia during my time at the herbarium.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4ULRVIvjPdYUp2nO53_kz0dUSG1GueQk5BPa6EdxPOA2MkCSV_Yc2bF4P7TM23k6DyNTRl2-ctLVr900RGt8rV0MhvU4B9zKqknHtacQyaWrHGOfLgwIt2sMVk1PuhVQfrWXxw/s320/8544.euphrasia+gibbsiaea+isotype.jpg)
Types, holotypes and isotypes are also very important to examine to get a feel for the diversity of species. I didn't look at the type collection this time around. I have photos of types for most of these species from my 2005 trip.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKw345L4F8YtAXmxYs0UQhFiSJ6M_jXklcqA8auEuUiXDDSemxPdmCdHK__J5MVEi2nr8IoMozty4RkEvqVMLXy74DFucpxcvPqBUknifFvyCGQGhxofFL-B5TPSeJHB8Tc4o3g/s320/8899.hydatella.jpg)
This isn't a Euphrasia, but is an interesting plant I learned a bit about by talking to the collector (Ms. Briggs). It turns out that this genus, Hydatella, is the closest relative to Nelumbo, a large water lily. The molecular work had just been published in Nature a week or so before my visit to the herbarium. It was neat to see the original specimens from which this work was done.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3hWJ4d29abm8oATxzrO74NsW5qrgFkTIGJJPVlrJPKXgFT0DuiYeBGnBh-43CCajOsv_-Xi6T3iF0-ypXjjiCHf47cv-gdthnE-0iGEpTrbeAFuR3jOw_TK_e-HhgwXCyzRKQA/s320/8901.hydatella.jpg)
It's hard to imagine that this diminutive plant is a close relative of a large water lily, but the molecules (DNA sequences, in this case) don't lie. Pretty cool, eh? (Well, if you're a nerdy plant molecular systematist, it is cool!)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimyyuQSDLhgUjerKt-EPfHtAzEVvZHwdpXBKb5Cqxgk6x1YzelerzYywJPRkJIutj7aQ_qB-l_2iosUBXARwALkQgkU-L1hMRavyiCzra5v-gOYy9-9rCdNrEnzZiBbBL55mI39A/s320/8905.the+domains+walkway.jpg)
I enjoyed the walk through The Domains - especially the old fig trees that have such interesting trunks.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU8tCQJjgQxaBc00YxwYSTLgQPNTPTCK1FWI5BFypX0MMCqlEtMe8dGewNH6JsFRBwI-oijn7aouca2bPCSl23ft31cpaMuq-dzN39AuHjnH0glBWKPIn-EbyYIaR1Rq580rNyg/s320/8904.buttress.jpg)
I really like how these buttresses come out from the main stem to support the weight of the canopy.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEVmyC6gLjSIMjN5eslEATcH9eNE3qcqtQrJOr19em-1GhERiq22IxA6OGfv4c1X_CT70VajmkkxODuZ2g_pBscOgHbekRdHnaHIdeP3vsWQUcdpmcsRz-COWgKc7aXFQppoo2w/s320/8903.buttress.jpg)
You don't see much of this in our temperate deciduous forest trees.
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