I want to make a personal research on my local flora and I don't want to use lab facilities this time except examining the herbarium specimen, for that I need to make voucher specimen to identify species correctly. Instead of electric drier I just want to dry my specimen by using sun light and if I don't have plant press (2 part wood presser) and I put the not so fleshy sample under my bed and change the newspaper regularly to avoid fungal attack, will it help me to make the voucher specimen?? Please help, I want to know if I don't have enough facilities how to carry out my research work? Thanks
Hi
put your samples in dry newspapers, those between two wood boards, and then back up your car on the boards. Change news papers as often as possible. Keep dry specimens in plastic bags with silica gel.
regards
Everything is fine but in the long run there will be fungal infection. Therefore, please buy formalin, and alcohol and make a mixture. Put the mixture on a tray and soak the specimens in the mixture and allow them to dry in newspaper or blotter.Else put the fresh collections in newspaper and tie them in a bundle. Now put the bundle in a plastic bag and pour plenty of the mixture in the bag and tie the mouth tightly. Keep this bag for 10-20 days as such. Then open it and make changing immediately in blotter or newspaper. When dry, your specimens are ready. Even the leaves will not fall of by this procedure.
It is OK if you put them in the sun with only some pieces of paperboard. Actually, if you use good and strong paperboard there's no need to put them under your bed. If the weather is sunny and hot enough, they will be dry in 3-5 days. All depends the kind of tissue that the plants have. You can also get alcohol to treat them in case you detect a fungal atack. Perhaps they won't be the best specimens but they will be good enough for an herbarium.
You can use newspaper drying method but there are chances of fungal attack ( if you dont change side of newspaper frequently) you can use this 2 other methods. to know more more https://herbnews.net/how-to-prepare-herbarium/
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