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| Herbarium of the University of Montpellier | |
|---|---|
| Name | Herbarium of the University of Montpellier |
| Established | 17th century |
| Location | Montpellier, Occitanie, France |
| Type | University herbarium |
| Collections | Vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi, historical collections |
| Director | (see Organization and Staff) |
Herbarium of the University of Montpellier The Herbarium of the University of Montpellier is a historic scientific collection housed at the University of Montpellier in Montpellier, Occitanie, France. Founded during the early modern period, the herbarium has accumulated extensive specimens and archives tied to botanical exploration across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, linking to figures and institutions in botanical history. Its holdings support research, education, conservation, and international collaboration with museums, herbaria, and botanical gardens.
The herbarium traces roots to the cabinets of curiosity associated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montpellier, the botanical garden Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier, and early collectors such as Pierre Richer de Belleval, Antoine Gouan, and Erasmus Darwin-era correspondents; it developed alongside institutions like the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and exchanges with collectors linked to James Cook, Alexander von Humboldt, and the expeditions of the French Navy. In the 18th and 19th centuries the herbarium expanded through donations and exchanges with figures including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Georges Cuvier, Alphonse de Candolle, and regional botanists associated with the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur networks and the Société botanique de France. Twentieth-century growth involved collaborations with colonial-era networks tied to French West Africa, the Comoros, and scientific institutions such as CNRS and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement.
The collections encompass vascular plant specimens, bryophytes, lichens, fungi, and historic exsiccatae, with significant holdings from Mediterranean flora, African floras, and early modern European herbaria. Notable contributors whose names appear on sheets include Antoine de Jussieu, Bernard de Jussieu, Jean-Henri Fabre, Élie de Beaumont, and botanical explorers like Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem and Auguste Chevalier. The herbarium preserves type specimens and collections associated with expeditions of Jean-François Charpentier de Cossigny, collectors linked to Madagascar, and material exchanged with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Holdings include historic correspondence, field notebooks, botanical illustrations by artists in the tradition of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, and archival ties to the French Academy of Sciences.
Administrative oversight is provided by the University of Montpellier's departments historically connected to the Faculty of Medicine and modern units collaborating with Montpellier SupAgro, INSERM laboratories, and the Laboratoire MIVEGEC. Curators and staff have included university professors, taxonomists, and collection managers who have collaborated with international taxonomic authorities such as the International Association for Plant Taxonomy and networks like the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities. Staff coordinate loans, type verification, and databasing with institutions including Global Biodiversity Information Facility partners and regional herbaria in Provence, Catalonia, and Languedoc.
Research based on the herbarium has underpinned taxonomic revisions, floristic inventories, and biogeographic studies involving Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots, Macaronesia, and African floras. Studies leveraging the collections have cited comparisons with material from Herbarium Berolinense, Herbarium Hookerianum, and collections associated with Carl Linnaeus-lineage type material, contributing to revisions in genera described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, Joseph Dalton Hooker, and modern systematists. Collaborative projects with institutions such as Université de Lyon, Université de Paris, and international partners have employed the herbarium for molecular phylogenetics, conservation assessments for listings like the IUCN Red List, and historical biogeography tied to voyages of Marco Polo-era trade routes and colonial-era floristic surveys.
The herbarium supports teaching in botany and plant systematics for courses at the University of Montpellier, Montpellier SupAgro, and outreach programs in collaboration with the Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier, regional museums, and the Société linnéenne de Lyon. Public exhibits have featured historic collections alongside specimens loaned from Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Marseille and educational initiatives with schools, citizen science projects coordinated with Observatoire des Saisons, and workshops involving botanical illustration traditions associated with Redouté and contemporary botanical artists.
Digitization efforts align with international digitization programs and data mobilization initiatives coordinated with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities, and national platforms overseen by the Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche. Scanned specimen images, metadata, and type information have been integrated into online portals and shared with partners such as Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's databases and regional herbaria networks in Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The herbarium participates in specimen loaning, exchange, and collaborative curation agreements with institutions including Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and international centers for taxonomic expertise.
Specimens are housed in climate-controlled repositories within university facilities and refurbished storage modeled on standards promoted by organizations like the International Council of Museums and conservation guidelines used by Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Preservation protocols include integrated pest management, modular herbarium cabinets, archival mounting techniques, and conservation treatments overseen by conservation scientists trained in methods used at institutions such as Natural History Museum, London and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Category:Herbaria in France Category:University of Montpellier Category:Botanical collections