Plant collecting

The largest herbarium in the world exist at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, in Paris, France.

The earliest recorded evidence of plant hunting was in 1495 BC when botanists were sent to Somalia to collect incense trees for Queen Hatshepsut.

[3] The next step after finding a suitable plant for collection is to assign it with a number for record keeping purposes.

These field notes will accompany the finished sample to provide supplementary information about the plant.

[6] The New York Botanical Garden itself holds plant samples that date back to the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806.

However plants should never be allowed to spoil or decompose before pressing, as this will impact the quality of the dried product.

Plant presses are most commonly constructed with two flat smooth pieces of wood, and some type of compression mechanism.

Complete drying time will vary depending on the type of plant, but is generally 7–10 days.

These types of paper are ideal for preserving plant samples because they are acid free and pH neutral.

If glue is needed, it is recommended that Grade A methyl cellulose mixed with water be used for optimal deterioration resistance.

Freezing new additions of plant samples is a suggested preventative measure against the introduction of pest to the storage space.

[14] The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History creates their barcodes from a short sequence of plant DNA, which can be easily identified from all healthy specimens of the species.

By creating these DNA barcodes, the process of organizing and loaning plant specimens becomes more streamlined and can be mechanized.

This has led in some cases to a collector voluntarily taking part, helping scientists, in some research areas, provided they can store the "collectible".

[18] The openings for poaching were found to be increased in locations with easy accessibility, such as roads, trails, and developed areas.

The condition of the environment can determine the levels of poaching, with regions of higher quality receiving more attention from poachers.

This issue can be solved with proper research on the status of species before a plant is collected and taking the smallest sample possible.

In 2014, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens saw the theft of one of twenty-four of their Nymphaea thermarum, the world's smallest water lily ever discovered.

[26][27] In 2014 in two separate incidents, a total of twenty four cycads were taken from the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa.

Twenty-two of those twenty-four were Albany cycads, a species on the critically endangered list with only an estimate of 80 left in the wild.

In an interview, the president and CEO of the gardens attributed an increase in theft to “the surge in houseplant interest, which is driving plant prices higher and leading to less ethical plant-sourcing behavior.”[30] Plant theft is not solely limited to botanical gardens with rare collections.

The practice of taking fallen plant leaves or clippings for the purpose of later propagating from those pieces is known as prop-lifting and is known to be discouraged or even unethical.

The California Penal Code § 384a prohibits cutting of plants from both private and public property, stating “A person shall not willfully or negligently cut, destroy, mutilate, or remove plant material that is growing upon state or county highway rights-of-way” and “A person shall not willfully or negligently cut, destroy, mutilate, or remove plant material that is growing upon public land or upon land that is not his or hers without a written permit from the owner of the land, signed by the owner of the land or the owner’s authorized agent, as provided in subdivision.”[31] In the United States, misconceptions around the scope of protection for certain plants are common in several states.

[34] While plant collecting may seem like a very safe and harmless practice, there is a few things collectors should keep in mind to protect themselves.

[16] If traveling to a remote location to access samples, it is safe practice to inform someone of your whereabouts and planned time of return.

Travel to remote locations will most likely involve walking measurable distances in wild terrain, so precautions synonymous with those related to hiking should be taken.

Thus, the handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata) was discovered by Père David in 1869 but introduced to Britain by Ernest Wilson in 1901.