British Flora Herbarium

British Flora are generally all plants which are indigenous to our shores; annuals, perennials, herbaceous, grasses and sedges but not cultivated. Sometimes these can be incorrectly classed as weeds but the term weed only really means a plant that is growing in the wrong place.

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The pressing of flowers became popular in the Victorian period, where by the hobby had many followers, producing small collections pressed in books and given as sentimental gifts. There are also famous collections held from the 1600’s to the 1700’s within the Natural History Museum in London.

In 1977 as part of my indentured apprenticeship in amenity horticulture, I had to create an herbarium, this was to help my botanical sciences studies but also to widen my knowledge into what plants grow where and why.

 The importances of plant families became fundamental to my career in horticulture. Plant varieties can come and go but knowledge of plant families is crucial when dealing with pests and diseases.

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The samples from this collection are now nearly 50 years old, some still look as fresh as the day they were picked. Many of the collection areas have since been lost by development, housing or factories.

Identification then was by looking through books. The definitive was one entitled British Flora by the Rev William Keble-Martin, a brilliant botanical artist who served time in the British Army in the Great War, much artwork completed in the fields of Flanders and the trenches of the Somme. As Britain was once connected to continental Europe, Northern France has the same flora as much of England.

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Generally, the actual pressing of specimens can be quite easy, as long as certain rules are followed.

Always use acid free paper to press with and remember, to use a large heavy weight like a book or a flower press. All those years ago, I used only the things to hand, old newspaper, plywood and a weighty house brick and left well alone for a week or so.

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 Never pick after rain and more fleshy specimens have to have different treatments to stop them blackening in the pressing process. One of the best ways I found was to place the specimen in a tin with Boracic powder for 24 hours before pressing. This way is best when trying to preserve fungi as well.

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The collection titles are split into three groups. Common weeds found in lawns, Grasses found in lawns to include some common weed grasses and Native wild flower meadows.

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Reference links

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University Cambridge www.herbarium.plant5cl.cam.ac

www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-press-flowers.hmtl

www.rhs.org.uk/science/conservation-biodiversity/conserving-garden-plants/rhs-herbarium

HTTPS;//rammcollections.org.uk