Natural History Museum of the UPR-RP
Herbarium
About the Herbarium
The herbarium of the Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras (UPRRP) is set up to be a reference collection not only for Puerto Rico, but also for the whole Caribbean Basin.
Our Herbarium is presently one of the Caribbean's most active in growth and in the provision of research specimens. Our current holdings are over 64,000 specimens including Tracheophytes, Bryophytes, Algae and Fungi.
Because most of the UPRRP collection is recent, data associated with the specimens is generally more complete than that of much older material. Thus, its strength lies in the robustness of information reflecting the Caribbean's recent past.
The Caribbean region is one of the world's most complex archipelagos and is considered among the top three most important biodiversity hotspots. This floristically rich region is in a state of ecological flux through both natural processes and man-made ones. Nature and society are a critical juncture since land use patterns are changing fast affecting vegetation and shifting species composition and community structure in ways we are just beginning to understand.
Documentation of present biological diversity is critical for reconstructing the past and anticipating the future. With herbarium collections serving as a storehouse of such basic data, safeguarding collections and making them optimally accessible is key for enriching a broad spectrum of studies.
For some projects, studying and examining actual specimens is indispensable, but for many others, quick verification of identification and the habit, habitat, phenology and distribution data from labels could be obtained through digital images and electronic databases.
Aside from institutional consultations and everyday use of collections and facilities, UPRRP receives visitors who are in need of our facilities and consult our collections for their research or teaching projects. The herbarium also offers tours of the facilities and demonstrations of curatorial and field collecting techniques.
Image credits: Dr. Fabiola Areces Berazain
