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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– U

SB

CC

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– U

SB

INSP

ERIT

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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