National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago

Once plant specimens have been collected they must be dried, pressed and disinfested before they can be mounted on herbarium sheets.

The drying prevents deterioration of the material, and is often started in the field by placing each specimen in a newspaper folder.

The pressing of the specimens is also started in the field by stacking the newspaper folders in a plant press.

On return to the laboratory the specimens will be examined, sorted, re-arranged in their folders and the field notes checked. They will then be restacked in the presses and subjected to proper drying.

When the specimens have dried in the laboratory sufficiently they will be decontaminated by deep freezing for a week to kill all stages of insects with which they may be infested.

After this treatment, mounting and identification may take place. Often it is better to identify the specimens before mounting, as it is easier to examine parts under the microscope then.