Mounting Your Specimens

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Why this note?

This is an important step, as the mounting must display the important features of the plant so that its identity can be checked. If the underside of the leaves are supposed to be hairy, this must be displayed in the mount. When you hand in the specimen, we will go over the identification and will use the mounted specimen for this.

• You will need
• Mounting
  • Herbs and Grasses
  • Trees
• Labels

You will need:

Good quality 11 x 14 inch white paper. The paper should be heavy grade and stiff.

The paper should support the specimen, so that you can pick up the mount and the paper will not bend under the weight

Clear tape

Clear Glue, best if it is flexible when dry

Index cards

Mounting:

If the paper used as blotting paper is not too damaged, soiled, or wrinkled from the drying process, it can be used here.

Carefully remove the specimen from the press and position it on the paper. Look at the characteristics you used to identify (these should have been recorded in your notebook) it and be sure these are visible on the mount. Also be sure that there is room for the label card.

The label card should have the scientific binomial, complete classification (Kingdom, etc.). If the scheme you find has super- and sub- groups, include them. Also include your name, the common name of the plant, the collecting date and location. In addition, indicate the notebook page that contains the additional information you collected when you collected the specimen.

The notebook should be presented whenever handing in specimens. Remember that you don't have to wait until the last day to hand them in. Just bring them to me with the notebook and we will go over the specimen to see if it is presented correctly, check the identification, and enter it onto your list of identified specimens. At the end of the course, I may ask to keep the notebook or a copy of it. A description of the notebook is found on the collection page.

Herbs and Grasses

Use short pieces of tape to fix the roots and stem to the paper. If the arrangement of leaves on the stem or type of root system is important for identification, be sure it can be easily seen.

The leaves can be fixed to the paper with either glue or tape. Glue works best for broad leaves and tape for narrow leaves. Be sure some leaves have the upper side showing and some have the lower side.

Inflorescences must be fixed to the paper (either glue or tape) so that individual flowers can be seen and, if some characteristics of the flowers are important for identification, be sure they can be seen.

Fruits are usually best affixed with glue. If you have cut open some before drying, then include the cut away section and one where you can see the outside of the fruit.

Glue or tape the id card to the paper.

Trees

Use tape to fix the stems and twigs to the paper. If leaves are attached, be sure the arrangement is easy to see.

Leaves, unless narrow, should be glued to the paper. If different shapes or sizes are present (some trees are notorious for differences in shape and size), the leaves should include examples that illustrate the variation. Be sure both upper and lower sides are visible.

Inflorescences and fruits should be treated as for herbs and grasses.

Glue or tape the id card to the paper.

Label

Here is an example of an index card filled out with the necessary collection information. Notice that I had to take notes in the field in order to complete it.

 For a look at some well preserved and some not-so-well preserved plants, go to the Examples page

A pitcher plant also has unusual leaves. The leaf edges have sealed from the base, forming a tube that is filled with a complex liquid that digests animals that fall into it. However, there is an entire community of organisms that have learned to survive and thrive in this environment, which becomes a miniature ecosystem. This one is Sarracenia purpurea. There are several pitcher plant species, some in Tennessee. All here are protected (don't collect them). They live in the wet, acidic soils of swamps, where mineral nutrients and organic nitrogen are hard to obtain.

Go back to the Preservation page

Go forward to the Identification page

Last updated July 11, 2006