Herbarium Improvements for the University of South Carolina

University South Carolina Research Foundation, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to the University of South Carolina (Columbia) under the direction of Dr. Robert Raguso to improve the Herbarium collection, located within the Department of Biological Sciences. The collection is especially rich in plants of South Carolina. Its most significant holdings are those of rare and endangered species, cultivated plants, and weedy species. Two major current issues have resulted in the development of this project. First, the physical safety of the specimens is jeopardized by their continued housing in old, inadequate steel (and wood) cases as storage units. Some of the cases within the Herbarium are dilapidated to the point that there is no air seal, allowing possible infestation by destructive insects. Second, the collection has reached sufficient size and importance that its availability as an on-line database has become apparent. The project developed for the Herbarium calls for funding to replace inadequate herbarium cases with new storage units, and to provide salary for the manpower involved in recording specimen data within an on-line database. The first aspect of the project will involve moving old cabinets out of the herbarium, replacing them with new ones, and transferring the specimens. The databasing of the collection will be of three-year duration; three university students will be hired for this. Additional computer software will not be needed, as we have access to a Microsoft Access platform using "Index Kentuckiensis". The state of SC is botanically diverse, and considerable botanical inventory remains to be completed. Thus, the largest single scientific collection of plant specimens should be of utmost importance in understanding the state's botanical diversity. As a result of this project, the collections within the Herbarium will be better protected and more available for scientific use, both now and well into the future. The project will allow for a modest expansion of existing storage capacity. The data processing of the collection will result in approximately 70% of the total collection made available as an on-line electronic resource. Finally, a certain broad impact of this project will be the collaboration of USC with other state institutional herbaria for the consolidation of state-wide herbarium data. Additional use of the collections as a resource will be enhanced, for instance, as a continuing source of free plant identifications for gardeners, farmers, extension agents, and plant enthusiasts.