The University of Aberdeen Herbarium aims to maintain, develop and research the University's collection of plant material by providing material on loan for research, receiving material on loan for research, providing research facilities for study of the material, maintaining a collection of voucher specimens, and actively curating the collection

The Herbarium is the only significant plant collection in the North of Scotland. The University has recognised that the collection is a valuable source of reference and, particularly with regard to South East Asia, is of international standing. The material for Thailand, for example, is regarded as the second most important collection of its kind in the world. The collection is used in undergraduate teaching and has sustained a considerable number of postgraduate research projects as well as underpinning staff research. Material is loaned to other herbaria for research and this is a reciprocal arrangement dependent on the Herbarium's formal status in Index Herbariorum. Material is also used for identification of plants for research workers, public bodies and amateurs and the staff of the Herbarium provide this service free of charge.

The Herbarium contains approximately 120,000 herbarium specimens of international importance, with special emphasis on British (Scottish) and South East Asia (Thai) material. A project on the flora of Bangladesh (1997-2000) funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), is a major focus of current activity, leading to acquisition of much new material following a series of expeditions.

The material from Thailand is composed of approximately 20,000 specimens. They were principally collected by Arthur Francis George Kerr while he was in the service of the Government of Siam as Medical Officer of Health from 1902-20, and in charge of the Botanical Section, Ministry of Commerce, from 1921-31. The material was obtained through Professor Craib, for whom Kerr collected while he was a Lecturer in Forest Botany at Edinburgh University. Professor Craib came to Aberdeen from Edinburgh as Regius Professor of Botany in 1920 where he remained in the Chair until his death in 1933. Dr Euphemia Barnett, who was Assistant to Professor Craib at Aberdeen, also worked on A F G Kerr's material. The genus Barnettia (Bignoniaceae) was named by Dr Santisuk in honour of Dr Barnett 'whose taxonomic work enormously contributed to our knowledge of the Thai flora' [Santisuk, 1973, Kew Bulletin, 28(2);172]. The genus, of two species, is endemic to Thailand. The Herbarium was honoured to receive a visit from the Princess of Thailand in May 1995, a recognition of the international importance of our collection.

The British material of approximately 55,000 specimens has been collected by several past professors of the University, particularly Trail (including fungi), Dickie (mainly algae), and William MacGillivray, but also amateur collectors such as McMurtrie, Lewis Gavin, and Stables. A large collection of British plants made by George Nicholson, Curator at Kew from 1886-1901, were bequeathed to Professor Trail and, together with Trail's extensive collection, these form the foundations of the British collection. George Nicholson also assisted Professor Trail in the planning of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden, adjacent to the Herbarium.

Each plant specimen is mounted on herbarium paper and grouped taxonomically in boxes. Reference numbers and family labels show on the outside of the boxes.

The initial collections, which form the foundations of the Herbarium, come from 1860, when Marischal and King's Colleges were united. The specimens were at that time variously located within the University premises and Professor J R Matthews who held the Regius Chair of Botany from 1934-1959 planned to bring them all together. In 1948, under the Keepership of Mrs A H Sommerville, the specimens were incorporated into the British, European and Thai collections and became accessible to the public for the first time.

The collection is in good condition, located in one large room within the Cruickshank Building, and housed mainly in folders/boxes in purpose built wooden cabinets. The specimens are catalogued according to Dandy (British), Bentham and Hooker (all other material). Our oldest specimen, of Gentiana campestris, was collected in 1772 by an unknown collector and belonged to the herbarium of Principal Campbell, a former Principal of Marischal College. The specimen was incorporated into one of the two books of dried plants made by Dr Knight, later a Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University.

The Herbarium continues to incorporate new specimens, especially new local records and voucher material resulting from research at Aberdeen University. During the last 10 years, it has trained overseas PhD students in taxonomy from a number of research institutes and universities in Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. These students have all specialised in their own floras during their studies in Aberdeen and have remained good colleagues and friends of the Herbarium.

The herbarium has laboratory facilities for taxonomic research. The Herbarium Manager, Jim McGregor, is examining one of the type specimens in the Thai collection. Type material is easily recognised because the plants are enclosed in red bordered folders.

Taxonomic research necessitates the identification and preservation of type specimens when any new species are discovered. Equally researchers studying many other aspects, such as DNA analyses, chromosome number etc need to deposit vouchers of the source material they have used for future reference. Researchers working at Aberdeen University, or on Aberdeen specimens, usually deposit their voucher material in the Herbarium.