The Herbarium
In the UBT Herbarium, dried plant specimens are preserved, classified, and made available for science. In addition to basic plant system research, the evaluation of herbarium material in particular serves to document the distribution areas of plant species and their shifts against the background of climate change. Besides sampled plant species from current and former Bayreuth research projects, e.g. in East Africa, Yemen or Chile, the focus of the Herbarium is on the flora of Bavaria, especially north-eastern Bavaria.
Betreuung:
- HistoryHide
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The "UBT Herbarium" located in the Ecological-Botanical Garden of the University of Bayreuth was newly founded in 2001. It originated from the integration of the Herbarium of the department of Biogeography with the collections of the Ecological-Botanical Garden and the departments of Plant Systematics and Plant Physiology.
UBT Aktuell 1/2016 „Herbarium Vollrath“ >>> PDF
- CollectionHide
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To date, about 42,000 herbarium records have been registered, primarily seed plants and cryptogams (mosses). Over 6500 specimens (Tanzania, Hemp Collection; Yemen, Müller-Hohenstein & Deil Collection) are already available online as scans. The total collection is estimated at over 90,000 specimens. Since the University of Bayreuth itself is very young, most of the specimens are from the last quarter of the 20th century. The collections of native plants are mainly concentrated in the (northern) Bavarian area.
Recently, historical collections have also been integrated into the Herbarium's collection as a result of donations or permanent loans. Here the collection of the naturalist Johannes Kaulfuß (1859-1947), rediscovered at Plassenburg Castle in Kulmbach, occupies a special position: Over 1600 excellently preserved and documented plant specimens, mostly from the beginning of the 20th century, are now a major source for research on changes in the native flora over the last 100 years. More information >>> PDF
- Support and ProjectsHide
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The collection is supervised by plant systematist Dr. Ulrich Meve, department of Plant Systematics (Spermatophytes) and Dr. Eduard Hertel, Honorary Professor of the University of Bayreuth (Cryptogams). The Director of the Ecological-Botanical Garden, Dr. Gregor Aas, is also the Director of the Herbarium.
Physically, the Herbarium collection is housed mainly in steel compactors in the administration building of the Ecological-Botanical Garden.
The era of major floristically oriented projects in (sub)tropical regions has largely passed. Bayreuth florists and taxonomists are currently concentrating on research concerning the "Flora of North-Eastern Bavaria" and the "Flora of Bayreuth".