Improvement and Computerization of the Preserved Collection of Orchid Flowers at Selby Gardens

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota FL

Investigators

Abstract

The world-class collection of preserved orchid flowers in the Herbarium at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, is deteriorating, as metal caps and paper-lined closures show their age. As a result, the alcohol preservative is evaporating and rust is contaminating many of the 24,000 orchid flower specimens. The glass specimen bottles currently are stored in cardboard boxes, arranged by the Orchid Identification Center (OIC) accession number. In addition to OIC of research botanists, scientists from around the world and especially from countries with tropical rain forests use this valuable collection. The current arrangement makes it time consuming to locate all specimens of a given orchid species for comparison. The National Science Foundation project will allow for replacement of metal lids and paper liners with plastic caps and liners, storage of glass bottles in plastic crates, bar-coding of each bottle, and databasing of all accession information. The scope of the project encompasses processing all 24,000 preserved orchid specimens. In addition to OIC vouchers, the collection contains the irreplaceable field collections of such prominent research botanists as Galfrid Dunsterville, Alexander Hirtz, Calaway Dodson, and Carlyle Luer. A barcode label will be applied to each bottle, which will be refilled with preservative; caps and liners will be replaced as required; and inventory information will be entered into a database developed for the collection. The NSF project will preserve a scientifically significant taxonomic resource. The Selby Gardens Herbarium, known worldwide as SEL, is a library of plant specimens used by "alpha" (species level) taxonomists for plant identification. The preserved collection of orchid flowers at Selby Gardens is the largest in the Western Hemisphere and contains many type specimens (reference plant specimen for published scientific names). Many orchids have large complex blooms that are best preserved as 3-dimensional flowers rather than pressed-and-dried specimens. The preserved collection is crucial to orchid identifications made by the OIC. The societal benefits of the project include facilitating the work of the OIC, which is the only "store-front" in the United States for orchid identification. The preserved collection is also available to visiting scientists for morphological studies on the structure of orchids. Plant identification has societal impact because some orchids are edible, but others contain alkaloid compounds that, if ingested, can be harmful. Plant identification, using the preserved collection, has an economic impact by allowing plant breeders/producers to correctly name their products. Orchids are not just pretty; they rank in the top three plant groups in the multi-million-dollar floriculture industry in the United States. The preserved orchid flower collection at Selby Gardens is a botanical resource to be maintained and cherished for the nation and the world.