Overview
The 'Baker and Thompson Herbaium' was the name given to a collection of herbarium specimens, purchased by Sir James Hector (1834-1907, Director of the Colonial Museum), as a reference collection to assist with the identification of exotic plant species establishing in New Zealand.
Over time, curators, collection managers and volunteers have learnt more about this collection. It is now known that this collection is from multiple collectors, with specimens from Europe, Russia, Asia, the Middle East, India, and North America. Collectors include, Silvanus Thompson, Bridget Thompson, John G. Baker, Johannes Fluegge, Ernst Ferdinand Nolte, and Karl Maximowicz
Hector has been acknowledged for his awareness of how quickly foreign plants were establishing and spreading in New Zealand, and his desire for a reference collection was a sound idea. However, the most beneficial aspect of this purchase was an insurance policy against the upheval that would take place around the world during the 20th century, and the resulting destruction of many institutions and their collections.