Overview
The majority of Te Papa’s plant specimens are dried. Larger specimens are pressed and mounted on cardboard sheets. Some require multiple sheets; one kelp specimen is mounted across 33 sheets. Smaller specimens are kept in paper envelopes. A few specimens are stored in alcohol or other preservatives. Te Papa does not maintain a living plant collection.
The specimens are stored in boxes and filed on shelves in two locked vaults. The shelves are on sliding “compactors” to save room. For each major plant group, specimens are arranged alphabetically by genus and species within an indexed family. The temperature and humidity of the vaults are tightly controlled to maintain optimal storage conditions. The vaults are on level two of Te Papa’s Cable Street building.
Well preserved and maintained specimens should last almost indefinitely, ensuring the function of the collection as a long-tem reference collection.
All specimens are frozen for one week before they enter the collection, to kill any plant-eating pests.
Each specimen is given a unique registration code, to facilitate information management, including via Te Papa’s collection database. These codes are prefixed by A (Algae), H (Hepatic, for liverworts and hornworts), L (Lichen), M (Moss), P (Pteridophyte, for ferns and lycophytes), or SP (Seed Plants).