Our June event took us behind the scenes at The Melbourne University Herbarium and the System Garden. Thank you to Dr Jo Birch and Virginia McNally for being so generous with their time and sharing their deep plant, history and research knowledge.
The Herbarium houses over 170,000 specimens of plants, fungi and algae, including historically important collections and artwork.
We got to see many specimens, including their oldest plant pressing of Sphaeromorphaea australis, which dates back to 1776. The collections act as critical reference points for plant identification, biodiversity tracking and documenting the distribution of species.
The data is also vital in conservation and habitat restoration. If a plant becomes critically endangered or extinct, herbarium specimens may be the only physical record of its original habitat and genetics.
After our session with Dr Jo Birch, we had a brief lunch and met Virginia McNally at the System Garden. She has worked at Melbourne University as a gardener and an arborist for over 30 years and has been the System Garden curator for the last six years.
The System Garden was established in 1856, and plants are arranged into subclasses and families. The plant collection
is organised by the Cronquist classification system (1988). This means the garden can be used as a teaching resource for botany students as well as a recreational space for the wider community.
It was wonderful to see many students in the garden enjoying the space.
Virginia McNally leading the System Garden tour
Group in Herbarium
Pressed specimens
Pressed paper daisies
