National Herbarium of Zimbabwe (SRGH)

The National Herbarium of Zimbabwe (SRGH) is the nucleus of Zimbabwe’s National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, one of twenty-one institutions within the former Department of Research and Specialist Services, now under the Department of Research and Extension Services in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, and Rural Resettlement. The National Herbarium is located on the western side of the 68-ha National Botanic Garden, 4 km north of the centre of the capital city, Harare.

History
The history of the National Herbarium can be traced to its first accession book, which was opened by Mr H.G. Mundy, who had been appointed as the Government Agriculturist and Botanist in 1909. By 1923, when F. Eyles was appointed Mycologist and Botanist, the herbarium had 3,250 specimens, mainly from farmers and staff of the Department of Agriculture. Eyles had a private herbarium of some 9,000 specimens and had published his Record of Plant Collected in Southern Rhodesia in 1916. When Hiram Wild was appointed to the post of Systematic Botanist in 1945, the herbarium collection had grown to 11,000 specimens.

Wild’s era was a period of great botanical achievements in Zimbabwe. He started the Flora zambesiaca project, as well as Kirkia, the Zimbabwe Journal of Botany. Wild also led various collecting expeditions within and outside Zimbabwe. When he left for the University of Zimbabwe in 1966, the herbarium contained 160,000 specimens. R.B. (Bob) Drummond succeeded Wild.

The single-storey building that houses the herbarium today was constructed in 1963. Before October 1963, the specimens were kept in the Harare Research Station. At that time, the herbarium was part of the Plant Protection Research Institute, then known as the Branch of Botany and Plant Pathology. Over the years, the herbarium has been known by various names that reflect the political history of Zimbabwe. From 1909 to 1923, the herbarium was known as the Southern Rhodesia Department of Agriculture Colonial Herbarium. This name was changed to Southern Rhodesia Government Herbarium (the acronym SRGH is derived from this name) in 1923, when Southern Rhodesia was granted self-government by Britain. With the advent of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1953, the name was again changed to Federal Herbarium, Salisbury. At independence in April 1980, it became known as the National Herbarium of Zimbabwe.

Collections
With over 500,000 plant specimens, SRGH is the largest herbarium in the Flora zambesiaca region (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Botswana). Within southern Africa, it shares second place with Compton Herbarium (NBG). Pretoria (PRE) is first, and has a collection of over 1,2 million specimens.

The main vascular plant collection is arranged according to the Englerian system of de Dalla Torre and Harms; the Poaceae—which comprises more than 10% of the total collection—is arranged according to Clayton and Renvoize. Specimens are housed in a mixture of wooden and metal cupboards. The herbarium also maintains algae and bryophyte collections.

SRGH has over 2,000 type specimens and about 21,000 species of vascular plants. About 6,000 of these species are of Zimbabwean origin; the rest are mainly from other African countries, in particular those countries within the Flora zambesiaca region.

Activities
SRGH provides a range of services:

Plant Identification Service

Plant Advisory Service

Vegetation Surveys

Publications

Taxonomic Research

Plant Identification Service
The plant identification service can be described as the major service provided by the herbarium staff. Plants are identified free of charge for the general public, consultants, students, governmental and non-governmental institutions.

Plant Advisory Service
The plant advisory service is closely linked to the plant identification service, but differs in that some clients require more than a plant name—they need information on other attributes such as uses, distribution, chemical properties, and toxicity, or advice on whether to allow the importation of certain plants.

Vegetation Surveys
Vegetation surveys are undertaken by staff in response to requests from various clients, such as Government and Non-Governmental Organisations, university departments, departments, researchers, and consultants. The costs are largely borne by the client.

Publications
The National Herbarium produces and distributes literature on the flora of Zimbabwe in the form of books, pamphlets, and brochures. It also publishes Kirkia, the Zimbabwe Journal of Botany. Current projects include Checklist of Zimbabwean vernacular plant names, Checklist of vascular plants of Zimbabwe, Threatened plants of Zimbabwe, Endemic plants of Zimbabwe, and Flowering and fruiting periods of plants in Zimbabwe.

Taxonomic Research
Very little taxonomic research emanates directly from SRGH; the institute mainly acts as a facilitator in taxonomic research by making its collections available to other taxonomists, both within and outside Zimbabwe. Almost all taxonomic research from the staff of SRGH has so far been undertaken as part of academic studies. Recent studies include Commelinaceae, Colchicaceae, Dryopteridaceae, Dracaenaceae, and Restionaceae.

—by Ms Nozipo Nobanda

SABONET News 6.2:126