Regional Herbaria NetworkThe Regional Herbaria Network actively links regional community groups to the Western Australian Herbarium, creating nodes of local expertise collaboratively contributing to an expanding knowledge base on the Western Australian flora.
The Regional Herbaria Network serves an estimated 700 regional volunteers and the broader community with 84 regional groups throughout the State. Regional Herbaria are empowered to create and maintain a local reference collection providing access to up-to-date information about the region’s flora. Local government agencies, community groups and education facilities can all benefit from interacting with their local Regional Herbarium.
The Network trains community groups to collect and document specimens of their local native and weedy plant species. Specimens collected are sent to Perth for identification and retention, while another remains in the local reference herbarium, cross-referenced by a unique number. By compiling a local reference herbarium with specimens for which the currency of names is ensured, a regional group can create a local conservation resource. The community can access further available information on local plant biodiversity through tools such as this web site.
Local knowledge from regional herbarium groups allows us to gather comprehensive information about local floras. Regional collectors know their local habitats and can access areas a visiting botanist may miss, providing year-round observations to document the life stages and ecological preferences of local species. To date, about 14,000 well-documented specimens have been added jointly to the State Collection and the Regional Herbaria. Approximately 15 new species have been discovered and 676 conservation species vouchered, including 78 rare species. The recent initiation of the Weed Information Network will support regional collectors making important contributions towards documenting the distribution of invasive species throughout the State.
Following is complete list of recognised Regional Herbaria, linking directly to their contributed FloraBase specimen voucher data. (Note that for larger regional herbaria this query takes a while). Registered Regional Herbaria volunteers can also use this query form to make more detailed enquiries about their vouchers in the State collection. Ensure the Origin field contains your regional herbarium acronym from the table below.
Project Sponsors
FloraBase is produced by the staff of the Western Australian Herbarium, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Publication or other use of content on this site is unauthorised unless that use conforms with the copyright statement.
Western Australian Herbarium (1998–). FloraBase—the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/