Collections
The collections have high historical and scientific value, and is used as a base for the research at the department, but also by scientists all over the world.
Restricted access to the botanical collections
The botanical collections at the Swedish Museum of Natural History (S) are currently unavailable for loans and visits. During the time of the extensive renovations of the botany building, the botanical collections are stored ex-situ.
During the renovation period, we still take care of loan returns, and gratefully accept gifts and exchange material. Please feel free to contact us at herbarium@nrm.se for further information or if you have any questions.
Loan service and requests
The collections are used in the ongoing research at the department, and a large number of scientists visit the herbaria each year. The department has also a considerable exchange and loan service with other institutions all over the world.
Scientific collections and loan policy
Please consider this guide when returning material
to avoid hassle with the Swedish custom services.
Databases
Parts of the collections have been computerized and are today available through searchable databases. The work is still in progress, and new data and images are added from time to time.
Our databases are also searchable throught the national herbarium database Virtuella Herbariet, where also the herbaria in Gothenburg, Lund, Oskarshamn, Umeå and Uppsala participate.
Vascular plant collections
The collections have their origin in the curiosity cabinets of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1739, but have grown over the years by collecting, and by acquisition of scientifically important collections. Today the collections comprise some 3 million specimens, which are divided into two herbaria:
The Nordic vascular plant herbarium keep material from the Nordic countries, but such material can also be found in elsewhere.
The International vascular plant herbarium house the plant material from all other parts of the world, including the formerly separated Regnellian herbarium with material from South and Central America.
Cryptogamic collections
The cryptogamic collections of the Swedish Museum of Natural History consist of more than 1.5 million specimens including many type specimens.
Part of the collections are registered in our herbarium database.
Type Collections
All our know type specimens have been entered in our herbarium datase. All our vascular plant type specimens and many of our cryptogam type specimens have been imaged, and high resolution images can also be found through our herbarium database.
Read more about our vasular plant types and the scanning project.
Historical herbaria
The Linnean herbarium (S-LINN) with about 4500 specimens from the herbarium of the famous swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.
Celsius' Flora Uplandica
Antonius Münchenberg's Herbarium vivum.