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Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

Developing a community
collection of local plants

Contents:

Why is a collection of local plants useful to a community?

Plant collections provide opportunities to develop knowledge about local plants and vegetation communities, and human uses of wild plants. Community members increase their knowledge and understanding of the plants around them through collecting and identifying plants. This information is often passed on to other members of the community.

Collections of plants provide information on the distribution and abundance of plant species, data that can be important to local and regional natural resources management. Plant collections also provide information on plant distributions at the time of collection, and may be useful for examining the impacts of environmental change over long time periods. The plant specimens themselves can be used as a reference collection for identifying local plants and recording traditional knowledge about local plants.

How to collect plant specimens

When collecting, choose two or three specimens of a plant in an area where they are well-established (this applies to small plants only - if they are large, take only one specimen). In cases where there are only a few individuals of a plant species growing in an area, it is usually best not to collect them. If possible, select plants that have flowers or fruits on them, as species identification is often based on these parts.

If the plant is small enough to fit on a sheet of folded newspaper, you should try to collect the entire plant, roots and all. This is easiest to do with a gardening trowel, but a knife, digging stick, or other tools can also be used to dig up a plant. It is generally best to dig out a plug of soil with the plant rooted in it, and then gently shake out the soil from the plant roots. If there is a nearby source of water, the roots can be washed to help remove soil particles. For trees, shrubs, and other large plants, collect only a portion of the plant, such as the end of a branch or twig. Be sure to include both the stem and leaves, and any flowers, cones or seeds if possible, and try record observations about the roots if they are not collected.

Once you have collected the plant, it should be pressed as soon as possible. If you do not have a plant press with you, plants can be temporarily stored in plastic bags or containers.

Before you leave the site where you collected the plants, it is very important that you record some basic information about the site location, sampling date, habitat characteristics, any observations about the plant, and the name and specimen number of the plant collected. This information can be written on a scrap of paper that is stored directly with the collected plants in the plant press, or can be written in a special notebook that is kept separately. Make sure that a system of labelling is used that links each collected plant to a section of notes. An example of the type of information that should be recorded for each is on the back of this page.

When you are putting the plants in a plant press, put only one plant species on a page. The specimens should be laid out, without overlapping, on one side of an open sheet of newspaper. Try to arrange the plants so that when they are flattened and dried, flowers or fruits will be clearly visible, and leaves and stems will overlap as little as possible. Make sure that there is at least one leaf face up and one face down on the page. If plants are tall, you can often fit them onto a page by bending the stem in V or N shapes. Plants with thick roots or big cushions may need to be cut in half, with both sides pressed.

Once you have arranged the plant, fold over the newspaper on top of it, and sandwich it between blotter paper or additional pieces of newspaper (to absorb moisture), and two pieces of cardboard (to keep the specimen flat). When you have finished adding all your plants to the press, place it all between the plywood endpieces and cinch together the straps to hold everything firmly together.

The press should be left to dry for several days in a warm, well-ventilated area. Keep the press a reasonable distance from artificial heat sources because the plants can be damaged if they get too hot. If you are drying plants that are very wet or if the air is very humid, it may be necessary to change blotter paper/extra newspaper sheets after the first 24 hours of drying.

What happens to the plants after they are collected?

Plant specimens that are pressed and dried can be stored for an indefinite period in a well-ventilated plant press. However, to allow for easy reference and use, they are usually mounted on paper with a label and stored in a cabinet or folder. Dried specimens are often mounted using ordinary white glue, on special acid-free paper that will not damage the plants over time. A label identifying the plant and giving the recorded information about the plant collection is also mounted on the sheet.

In scientific collections, the plants are mounted on large sheets of paper that are stored flat in a dry, well-ventilated area. For community use, however, specimens are likely to be more useful if they are mounted on smaller pieces of paper that can be covered in a protected film and stored in a notebook binder for easy access and portability. Once the plants have been mounted and organized, they can be used for a variety of purposes, such as aids for plant identification and tools for recording traditional uses of plants.

Information to record when collecting plant specimens

  • Specimen number
  • Name of plant (if known)
  • Date of collection
  • Location (location relative to known landmarks, such as towns, rivers, lakes, mountains, etc.; latitude and longitude co-ordinates if available)
  • Habitat characteristics (observations on slope angle and aspect, soil characteristics, (texture or type, moisture level, plant community type)
  • Other notes (observations of plant characteristics, such as flower color or odor, description of tree bark, etc.; also relative abundance of plants, conspicuous use by animals, traditional knowledge observations, other observations)
  • Name of collector

Example of a completed plant sample record

  • Specimen number: 05
  • Name of plant: Labrador tea (Ledum decumbens?)
  • Date of collection: 5 July, 1997
  • Location: north shore of Porcupine River, about 20 km upstream from Old Crow
  • Habitat characteristics: moderately wet area near the edge of the river, flat slope. Some moss, peaty organic soil.
  • Other notes: some flower buds open, white flowers with no odor. Plant is common in this spot. Leaves can be collected for making tea.
  • Name of collector: Jill Johnstone