Herbarium

A botanical treasure trove

Botanists have brought back plants from numerous expeditions over the centuries. By drying them, you can preserve them almost indefinitely for later research.

The herbarium of Meise Botanic Garden houses 4,000,000 collection items, the oldest being a specimen from 1724. An institutional herbarium such as that of the Botanic Garden has an official abbreviation (acronym) so that it is recognisable to experts from all over the world. For us this is BR, which refers to our initial location in Brussels. According to the list of recognised herbaria, the index herbariorum, we are the 15th largest herbarium worldwide and alongside the other herbaria we form an important international network. 

Our herbarium is an important reference point for scientific plant names, plant identifications, and locations. It can best be compared to a library of information about plants. Each carefully preserved plant in the herbarium exudes craftsmanship. Preserving plants for so long is only possible with excellent techniques and expertise.