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| Herbarium of the University of Barcelona | |
|---|---|
| Name | Herbarium of the University of Barcelona |
| Established | 1860s |
| Location | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Type | Botanical herbarium |
| Collections | Vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi, algae |
| Director | Historical |
Herbarium of the University of Barcelona is the principal botanical collection historically housed within the University of Barcelona in Barcelona, Catalonia. Founded during the nineteenth century, it developed alongside institutions such as the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, the Institut Botànic de Barcelona, and the Museu Marítim de Barcelona, becoming a key reference for Iberian, Mediterranean, Atlantic, and tropical floras. Its specimens support taxonomic, biogeographic, and conservation work connected to organizations including the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.
The herbarium traces origins to collections assembled by professors affiliated with the University of Barcelona and collectors linked to nineteenth-century networks like the Societat Catalana de Ciències Naturals and the Jardí Botànic de Barcelona. Early curators corresponded with figures associated with the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, the Royal Spanish Botanical Society, and collectors active during the era of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco and expeditions to the Canary Islands. Through the twentieth century interactions with institutions such as the University of Madrid, the Natural History Museum, London, and the Smithsonian Institution expanded its scope. Political events including the Spanish Civil War affected staffing and conservation, while postwar collaborations with the European Union and international herbaria modernized storage and research.
The holdings encompass vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, fungi, and algae, with strong representation of Mediterranean taxa from Iberian Peninsula, Atlantic islands like the Azores, the Balearic Islands, and North African localities such as Rif and Algeria. Historical exsiccatae include contributions from collectors associated with the Royal Botanic Expedition to New Spain lineage, trade routes linking Barcelona with Cuba, Philippines, and Peru, and specimens from colonial-era networks tied to the Spanish Empire. Type specimens and syntypes are cross-referenced with collections at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden, and the Herbarium of the University of Coimbra. The collection also preserves material from ecological surveys coordinated with the Mediterranean Action Plan and conservation lists maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Curation practices evolved influenced by standards from the International Association for Plant Taxonomy, the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), and guidelines used by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Mounting, labelling, and databasing adhere to protocols shared with the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities and regional repositories such as the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya for specimen loans. Long-term preservation involved partnerships with conservation programs modeled on initiatives at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and exchanges with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on pest management and climate control.
Scientists affiliated with the herbarium published floristic treatments and monographs in journals and series linked to the Catalan Institute of Paleontology Miquel Crusafont, the Spanish Journal of Botany, and international outlets associated with the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and the Linnean Society of London. Studies based on its holdings informed taxonomic revisions of genera represented in works by researchers from the University of Valencia, Complutense University of Madrid, and the University of Granada, and fed into phylogeographic analyses in collaboration with the Max Planck Society and the University of Oxford. Contributions to conservation science supported regional red lists coordinated with the Generalitat de Catalunya and European assessments under the European Environment Agency.
The herbarium has been integrated into curricula at the University of Barcelona and used in field courses associated with the Institut d'Estudis Catalans and the Barcelona Science Park. Public programs connected to museums such as the Museu de la Ciència de Barcelona and botanical tours with the Jardí Botànic de Barcelona foster community engagement. Collaborative exhibitions and seminars have involved institutions like the Fundació Antoni Tàpies and the Gran Teatre del Liceu for interdisciplinary outreach, while internships and postgraduate projects linked to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF) build scientific capacity.
Specimens are stored in climate-controlled cabinets following practices used at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and digitized using pipelines compatible with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Barcode of Life Data Systems. High-resolution imaging and databasing projects were developed in partnership with technical teams from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), enabling online access that interoperates with catalogues like the Integrated Digitized Biocollections and the Index Herbariorum. Infrastructure improvements mirrored upgrades at the Natural History Museum, London and the Herbarium of Harvard University to meet international standards.
Prominent botanists and collectors whose material or correspondence is held in the collections include figures linked to the Institut Botànic de Barcelona, scholars associated with the University of Barcelona faculty, and explorers who worked with institutions such as the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Expeditions to the Balearic Islands, the Pyrenees, the Sierra Nevada, and North African ranges like the Atlas Mountains contributed essential flora, while collaborations with the University of Lisbon and the University of Porto extended Iberian reach. Collections and type material have informed taxonomic work by researchers at the Linnean Society of London, the Royal Society, and major herbaria worldwide.
Category:Herbaria Category:University of Barcelona