Herbarium
Herbarium specimen
What?
A herbarium is a collection of plant specimens mainly pressed and dried but also includes wood, seeds, flowers and fungi.
Ipswich Museum has over 17,000 specimens which form an important reference collection of flora from Suffolk. The earliest specimens date back to 1790.
Star collections include that of Rev. William Kirby who was the first president of Ipswich Museum and Rev. Prof John Stephens Henslow, famous for being Darwin’s tutor and mentor.
Other collectors include Lady Blake, H. Weaver, Rev. W. M Hind, John Notcutt, E. M Powles, Rev. Prof Edward Cowell, James Atkins, Miss Manning and Miss Rickards, A. L. Bull and Mrs I. M. Vaughan.
Where?
The herbarium is held in the Natural History stores at the High Street Museum Ipswich. The collection is available to researchers by appointment. Please contact Ann Ainsworth - Assistant Curator of Natural History for more information..