Prof RJ Sebola, Mr Erich van Wyk, Dr Anthony Magee & Dr Yashica Singh
South African National Biodiversity Institute Herbaria:
National Herbarium, Compton Herbarium & KwaZulu-Natal Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
• SANBI established on 1 September 2005 – NEMBA (Act 10 of 2004)
• National Botanical Institute (NBI), established in 1989 - amalgamation of National Botanical Gardens and Botanical Research Institute
• Combined history - early 1900’s
SANBI TOP MANAGEMENT: CEO; HEAD OF BRANCH
CHIEF DIRECTOR: BIOSYSTEMATICS
RESEARCH & COLLECTIONS DIVISION
CURATOR’S FORUM:
Reports to the Divisional management meetings
NATIONAL HERBARIUM (PRE)
Pretoria
Founded in 1903 by Dr Joseph Burtt Davy
COMPTON HERBARIUM (NBG & SAM)
Cape Town
Founded in 1937 by Prof. Robert Harold Compton
KWAZULU-NATAL HERBARIUM (NH)
Durban
Founded in 1882 by Dr John Medley Wood
Governance Structure
Collections
• >2 million specimens, ± 24 000 plant species - southern Africa
• Specimens collected >200 years
• Fundamental source of information - taxonomic studies and other related research
• Scientists, technicians and support staff - three herbaria
• Collection maintenance, research, plant identification and botanical information services
Main challenges • Limited capacity to deliver on some priority areas
– Data capturing – Data quality assurance
• Historical issues with specimen data quality
• Specimen data mobilization – end user requirements
• Change management in a changing environment
– Socio-political and economic challenges – Technological advances – Budget cuts – limited operational funds
NATIONAL HERBARIUM (PRE)
Team (36 staff): • Curator • Deputy Director: Biosystematics
Research • 13 Research staff • 7 Technicians • 13 Herbarium Assistants (3 vacant) • 1 Administration Officer • Also currently 6 Volunteers (including
four retired staff) and two National Research Foundation interns
Largest herbarium in Africa, second largest in southern hemisphere
ca. 1,200,000 plant specimens mainly from the Flora of southern Africa Region, also from sub-Sahara Africa and Africa islands
- > 7,000 type specimens
- Vascular plant collection – Angiosperms, gymnosperms, lycophytes & pteridophytes (ferns). Lichens and cryptogams (liverworts, hornworts and mosses) – ± 70,000 cryptogam specimens
CURRENT PROJECTS e-Flora Project
• Major contributor of species descriptions, and other species related information for the online Flora
• Scanning of literature and specimen images for species pages
Infrastructure improvements
• Laboratories – DNA extraction, storage
Various research projects including:
• Cyperaceae of southern Africa, other taxonomic revisions of priority, poorly documented genera
• Plant Families of South Africa – guide to identifying plant families of southern Africa
RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS • Completion of Floras for Eastern Cape and
Free State
• All type specimens scanned & made available online
• More than 936,000 of plant specimens for southern Africa (>85%) captured in database – represents approximately 78% of entire collection
CHALLENGES
Staff
• Regular staff turn-over leads to a
deficiency in the knowledge-base that is
required for providing identification service of all SA plants.
Facilities
• Climate control – extreme climate fluctuations, sustainable non-mechanical techniques investigated
Digitization of collections
• Tracking down remaining 15% FSA specimens (approximately 150,000 specimens)
• Increasing rate of digitization projects for future (specimen databasing as well as specimen scanning).
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COMPTON HERBARIUM (NBG & SAM)
2nd largest herbarium in South Africa
- ca. 850,000 plant specimens mainly from the Greater Cape Floristic Region
- > 6,000 type specimens
- most comprehensive collection of winter rainfall region’s flora
Includes the South African Museum Herbarium
- oldest & most important historical collection in the country (collections dating from the 1830’s)
Team (13 staff): Curator 5 Scientists (1 vacant) 1 Technician 5 Herbarium Assistants (1 vacant) 1 Database Manager 1 Administration Officer
J. Tobin
J.C. Manning A.R. Magee N. Bergh
L. Magoswana P.J.D. Winter E. Marinus
M. Smith S. Pieterse
J. Tobin
T. Makhoba
D. Paulse H. Snijman
PROJECTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Current projects:
Imaging of specimens to facilitate more rapid digitization
Plant DNA bank expansion
Various research projects including:
- Iridaceae of southern Africa (complete synthesis for 1200 species)
- Flora of the Nama-Karoo
Active Human Capital Development programme in plants systematics
- 1 postdoc and 12 postgraduate students
Recent achievements:
Floristic accounts of all 13 500 species from the Greater Cape Floristic Region (two volumes covering almost two thirds of the national flora)
All type specimens scanned & made available online as part of a global initiative to fast track biodiversity knowledge
Re-arrangement of entire collection as part of herbarium expansion process (reflects latest phylogenetic sequence developed by NBG staff)
CHALLENGES
Digitization of collections
- currently only 30% digitized (247 887 specimens)
- important Cape families prioritised and completed:
Pteriodophytes
Orchidaceae
Poaceae
Restionaceae
Iridaceae
Amaryllidaceae
Proteaceae Fabaceae Ericaceae Asteraceae Insufficient taxonomic capacity to accurately identify all families submitted by clients
- rely on managed network of experts from other institutions where available/willing
KWAZULU-NATAL HERBARIUM (NH)
Team (11 staff): Curator 1 Scientist (vacant) 2 Technicians 2 Herbarium Assistants
1 Research Assistant 1 Postdoc 2 Administration Staff 1 Gardener (vacant)
Zipho Nxumalo
Admin Officer
Khethiwe Khumalo
Reception
Colonial herbarium dating back to 1882, moved to central government – started up from earlier collections by Gerrard & McKen (1862-1865) by Medley Wood (1882-1915).
- ca. 130,000 plant specimens mainly from KwaZulu-Natal
- > 1,200 type specimens
FAMILIES ± 201
GENERA ± 1493
SPECIES ± 5800
FAMILIES ± 50
GENERA ± 137
SPECIES ± 337
20 families 2 genera
50 families 1 genus
Orchidaceae
(235)
Asteraceae
(680)
NO. OF GENERA NO. OF FAMILIES
Range dicots monocots
1 to 10 121 38
11 to 20 10 1
21 to 30 6 1
31 to 40 0 0
41 to 50 1 1
51 to 60 1 0
60 to 70 1 0
71 to 80 0 0
81 to 90 0 0
91 to 100 1 0
101 to 120 0 0
212 to 130 0 0
131 to 140 0 1
Fabaceae
(460)
Apocynaceae
(270)
Poaceae
(430)
Rubiaceae
(145)
Cyperaceae
(230) Iridaceae
(150)
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Hypoxis
Hypoxidaceae
Singh
Sida
Malvaceae
Sharma
Cerastium
Caryophyllaceae
Manickum
Cephalaria
Dipsacaceae
Ngwenya
Greyia
Melianthaceae Ntshangase
CURRENT PROJECTS
Ngw
enya
ACHIEVEMENTS Recent achievements:
Number of specimens & digitizing counts
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 140000
In NH
In BRAHMS
Not yet in BRAHMS
Rate/ year BRAHMS
New specimens /year
Types - JSTOR
Staff
Asteraceae 680 species
± 130 000
± 36 500
± 93 500
± 2000
1200
3.5
± 5000
CHALLENGES
CAPACITY to complete
• digitizing
• research projects
• up skilling
• implementing
new legislation
Lack of a senior
scientist – active in
research activities in
the province
Thank you