In the wake of publicity for the digitisation of the millionth specimen in the Herbarium in August, media attention turned to Professor Olwen Grace, Deputy Director of Science (Collections) and Curator of the Herbarium.
In her Life With feature for Scottish Field, Professor Grace talks about her childhood in South Africa immersed in nature and the importance of the collection held in the Herbarium, explaining:
“Some of our specimens have even been used as a seed source to avoid a species’ extinction. We have a specimen of Calceolaria valdiviana collected in 1903 in South America, which became a ‘seed donor’ in 2008, successfully boosting the genetic diversity of the species in botanic gardens. Every specimen tells a story.
I recently took part in the digitisation of the one millionth specimen in the Herbarium and chose a lichen (Stereocaulon vesuvianum) collected by our scientist Dr Rebecca Yahr on Ben Nevis.
Our botanical collections at RBGE reflect the amazing diversity of the plant and fungal kingdoms, so it was a tough decision.
One of the most difficult aspects of my job is witnessing biodiversity loss. Climate change means that we’re working against the clock to describe and conserve plants. I’m determined to continue to find new ways to work smarter, so that we can conserve plant biodiversity in Scotland and throughout the world. It’s our toolkit for resilience in the future.”
To learn more about the fascinating collection of preserved specimens held in the Herbarium, visit the forthcoming exhibition Pressed for Time in the John Hope Gateway Gallery from 21 March to 29 June 2025.