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What
is an herbarium voucher?
An herbarium voucher is a pressed, dried specimen of a plant that is attached to a sheet of paper. A label is also attached to the paper to identify the plant and to explain where, when and by whom the specimen was collected. The sheet is commonly 11.5 inches wide and 16.5 inches long. Plants larger than this size must be folded to fit, or if the are very large, only the portions essential to identify the plant are mounted. Vouchers of trees, for example, typically include a twig with leaves and buds, or the flowers and fruits.
The
photo at left shows the vouchers as they are stored in cabinets in the
herbarium. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Herbarium houses a collection
of approximately 35,000 dried vascular plant
vouchers, of which over 90% are from Wisconsin. Click on the appropriate
choice below to see summaries of voucher holdings.
Distribution of vouchers by state.
Distribution of Wisconsin vouchers by county.
Number of vouchers in the most prominent families.
Number of species and vouchers in prominent genera.
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for Biodiversity and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay,
All Rights Reserved
Last
updated on
April 15, 2014