TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 4 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 4 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

Herbarium Reaches Transcription Milestone with 52,000-plus Specimens Fully Digitized

The herbarium is the heart of research at the Garden. The quiet, climate-controlled space contains approximately 1.5 million dried and mounted plant specimens collected from across the world. A major priority of the herbarium is to digitize the collection by photographing the specimens and transcribing the related information recorded by botanists.

Staff and volunteers made significant strides in reaching this goal last year. “The herbarium ended 2022 with completing transcriptions of 52,674 specimens,” says Herbarium Collections Manager Ashley Bordelon. This brings the total number of completely transcribed specimens to over 286,000.

Digitization requires multiple steps. The first, photographing specimens, is relatively straightforward. Transcribing the text associated with each image is more difficult and time-consuming because the process cannot be automated. Human beings are needed to read the sometimes typewritten, sometimes handwritten, labels and enter the data into a database. It’s a task that requires concentration and demands accuracy.

The herbarium drew on the expertise and passion of a dedicated team of virtual volunteers–its “Armchair Botanists.” These volunteers deciphered difficult handwriting and smudged labels, mastered the spelling of Latin plant names and corrected errors discovered along the way. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without their help,” says Bordelon.

Many specimens transcribed this year are from the herbarium’s Texas collections. The images and data are now searchable through the herbarium’s portal Symbiota.

“We encourage folks to use this portal to discover the unique flora that have been growing in our area over the past two centuries,” says Bordelon. “And we welcome anyone interested in joining the Armchair Botanists to volunteer today. You can make a major contribution to science without leaving your home.”

Related Articles

Pile of colorful corn cobs
Garden

First Peoples’ Garden features the plants and growing techniques of America’s original gardeners

Wander through a quiet area of the Garden campus near the southeast corner of the BRIT building and you’ll find a special place dedicated to celebrating the people who first gardened this area: the First Peoples’ Garden. This garden features plants grown or used by indigenous Americans for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. “It’s a good place to see the plants that people used everyday to sustain their lives,” says Horticulturist Fernando Figueroa, who is responsible for the garden.

Read More »
Japanese maple herbarium specimen
90th Anniversary

Glimpse the Garden’s history through BRIT Herbarium specimens

Today, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) are a single organization, but that is a recent development. BRIT and the Garden combined forced in October 2020 after many decades of independent operation. However, the Garden and BRIT worked together for years before the merger. One aspect of that long-term partnership is preserved in specimens in the BRIT Herbarium that were collected in the Garden.

Read More »
Engage

Donor Spotlight: Laura and Greg Bird

Days of nature-filled, playful childhoods, common when Laura and Greg Bird were children, are what the Birds dream the new Baker Martin Family Garden will offer. The Birds serve as co-chairs of the Family Garden Campaign and have contributed a leadership gift through the Bird Family Foundation. 

Read More »
Engage

Donor Spotlight: Nancy Hallman

Nancy Hallman’s connection to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is inextricably linked with memories of visiting there with her children and, later, grandchildren. 

Read More »
Engage

Gardens for Peace 2024

We live in a contentious age, and these months leading up to a presidential election are filled with angry, divisive rhetoric. If you’re looking for a break from the disputes and debates, join us for a celebration of peace at the most peaceful place in Texas, the Japanese Garden. 

Read More »