Search help

Described here are the searchable attributes from the search the herbarium page.

Catalogue Number

MELU catalogue numbers take the standard format: MELU[A-Z]{1}[0-9]{6}[a-z]{1}

e.g. MELUA001054a

"MELU" is inferred and does not need to be included at the beginning of a text string.

The taxonomic group* is indicated by the letter that follows "MELU" in the catalogue number:

A = Algae (marine and freshwater)
B = Bryophytes (mosses)
D = Dicotyledon (flowering plants)
F = Fungi
G = Gymnosperms (conifers)
H = Hepatics (hornworts and liverworts)
L = Lichens
M = Monocotyledon (flowering plants)
P = Pteridophytes (ferns)
R = Botanical Model Collection

*Taxonomic groups follow historical circumscriptions that refer to non-monophyletic lineages in some instances.
Family

Searches will retrieve only family names as recognised at MELU. MELU follows authoritative national checklists, such as the Australian Plant Census.
Genus

Searches will retrieve only accepted genus names as recognised at MELU. MELU follows authoritative national checklists, such as the Australian Plant Census.
Species

Searches will retrieve only accepted species names as recognised at MELU. MELU follows authoritative national checklists, such as the Australian Plant Census.
Collector

Collectors names are formatted as e.g. Rupp, H.M.M.

An exact match of the collector’s name (including initials) is not required, as a wildcard is assumed both before and after the search term.
Collector Number

A Collectors number is the unique number assigned to a collection by the collector.

The field accepts alphanumeric text. Typical formats include the collectors initials followed by a number e.g. GCK1000 and a number only e.g. 1000.

The term "s.n." (an abbreviation of "sine numero" meaning "without a number") is recorded where a collection number was not assigned by the Collector.
Collection Date

The collection date records the date that the plant material was collected.

Dates applied are inclusive.

Provision of only a minimum / maximum collection date will retrieve all collections made after / before the specified date.

Provision of a minimum and maximum collection date will result in all collections made between those dates (inclusive).

E.g. to retrieve collections in 1900, set "collection date min" to 01/01/1900 and "collection date max" to 31/12/1900.

For searches, records lacking either the day (e.g. "Oct, 1912") or month (e.g. "1912") in collection dates, will be searched using the first of the month or the first month, respectively. Accurate (i.e. incomplete) collection dates are provided in search results and data downloads.

For data downloads "date precision=1" refers to complete dates, "date precision=2" refers to records lacking the day (e.g. "Oct, 1912"), "date precision=3" refers to records lacking the day and month (e.g. "1912")
Determined Date

A determination is the assignment of a taxonomic name to a herbarium specimen. The determination date records the more recent date that the name was assigned to the specimen.

Dates are applied inclusive.

Provision of only a minimum / maximum determination date will retrieve all collections made after / before the specified date.

Provision of a minimum and maximum determination date will result in all collections made between those dates (inclusive).

E.g. to retrieve collection objects determined in 1900, set "determined date min" to 01/01/1900 and "determined date max" to 31/12/1900.

For searches, records lacking either the day (e.g. "Oct, 1912") or month (e.g. "1912") in determination dates, will be searched using the first of the month or the first month, respectively. Accurate (i.e. incomplete) determination dates are provided in search results and data downloads.

For data downloads "date precision=1" refers to complete dates, "date precision=2" refers to records lacking the day (e.g. "Oct, 1912"), "date precision=3" refers to records lacking the day and month (e.g. "1912")
Collection

Refers to sets of specimens, including:

a. Specimens that form regional reference sets that are used for teaching purposes

b. Institutional herbaria that have been accessioned into MELU that are referenced by their historical herbarium name and acronym

c. Significant personal herbaria that have been gifted to MELU

d. Culturally or institutionally significant sets of specimens
Preparation Type

Preparation types refer to herbarium specimens or to objects derived from them.

Herbarium specimens include:

"Boxed fungi/algae" = sample stored in an archival box
"Carpological" = fruit sample
"Packet" = samples stored in an archival envelope (typically Bryophytes or Liverworts)
"Sheet" = sample mounted onto an archival A3 size sheet
"Spirit" = sample stored in chemical preservative (typically 70% ethanol)

Derived objects include:
"Digital image (high resolution)" = digital TIFF files of size >200 MB
"Digital image (low resolution)" = digital JPEG or PNG files of size >200 MB, including digitised copies of letters, illustrations, micrographs etc.
"Photograph" = printed photograph
"Photograph slide" = printed photograph of a slide
"Micrograph" = printed photograph of an image taken using a microscope
"SEM" = printed photograph taken using a scanning electron microscope
Ex Herbarium Identifier

Accepted herbarium acronym as recorded in Index Herbarium (accessible at: http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/) of institutions that have donated objects to MELU.

e.g. a search for records from the National Herbarium of Victoria would be entered as "MEL"
Ex Herbarium Accession Number

Accession number of objects that have been donated to MELU from other herbaria. Text takes the format of the accession number from the donating herbarium, excluding the herbarium acronym where it precedes the accession number.

e.g. a search for MEL2407050A would be entered as "2407050A"
Type

A type refers to the nomenclatural type associated with a taxon name. The nomenclatural type is a herbarium specimen that is designated as the type in the description of a taxon by the author of the plant name in the publication of that name.