Storytelling with IndExs

You may know IndExs - Index of exsiccatae. IndExs is a service to detect and identify exsiccatae and exsiccata-like specimen series in herbaria and learn more about their role, history and cultural circumstances.

For details see IndExs Introduction Page and the Wikipedia Articles IndExs – Index of Exsiccatae and Exsiccata

In the following there is a collection of short stories on exsiccatae using information received by using the IndExs Search interface. The stories are thought to be an inspiration for communication officers and might facilitate storytelling approaches with IndExs.

But at first some key numbers to describe the still growing content of IndExs with the underlying databases which use moduls of the Diversity Workbench:

*2450 exsiccata series

*1972 exsiccata series with example images

*only c. 33 series are in progress

*18-20 million exsiccata specimens are integrated in herbarium collections

*>110 herbaria with image examples of exsiccata specimens are included in IndExs

*1362 persons act as exsiccata editors

*580 exsiccata editors have EN Wikipedia articles, all citing IndExs records, see Exsiccata linkcount and Exsiccata - linked pages

*913 exsiccata series are found in the herbarium collection M (other herbaria will have more)

1. Early Exsiccatae in bound volumes for sale

Herbarium portatile

Jan, Herb. Port. 1820

Georgio Jan

Jan offered herbaria and exsiccatae for purchase to scientific academies and princely courts (luxus editions), e.g. on the Congress of Vienna 1815, where he made a deal with the Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In herbaria those luxus editions are often stored in the original bound volumes, see online list of BM exsiccatae.

Search

... for other thematically similar series with e.g., "Alp" in the titles or search for editor "Mueller" and "Renquist" to find series sold for educational purposes

2. Notable botanists of the 19th century with widely distributed series and funded digitisation projects today

Hepaticae Europaeae. Die Lebermoose Europa's unter Mitwirkung mehrer namhafter Botaniker

Gottsche & Rabenhorst, Hepat. Eur. 1863-1879

Gottlob Ludwig Rabenhorst

The well-known botanist Gottlob Ludwig Rabenhorst, expert for cryptogamic plants and fungi issued more than 20 series (with many collectors and high editions). He cooperated with namely botanists as co-editors like Alexander Braun, Ernst Stizenberger und Carl Moritz Gottsche. A current project funded by the BioDATA Program of GBIF digitised one of his series (originally distributed as bound volumes) with liverworts in Kiew herbarium (CWU). Information on digitised bounded volumes here and here

Search

... for "notable" editors with stories (editors with EN Wikipedia articles are listed here)

3. Stories on international scientific cooperations behind labels like "Flora Texana exsiccata"

Lindheimer Flora Texana exsiccata

Engelmann, Gray & Lindheimer, Lindheimer Fl. Texana Exs. 1843-1848

Asa Gray

IndExs gives information: Ferdinand Lindheimer as collector/ explorer cooperated with George Engelmann and with Asa Gray. Gray was publisher of Darwins work in North America und connected botany science from Europe with North America. Together with Engelmann he orginised the determination, publication and distribution of this exsiccata among his colleagues and to recognized botanical organisations. Origin and history of the series is well documented here

Search

... for title parts on labels; e.g., the series "Plants of Indian Territory" (1894-1895) here edited by Benjamin Bush is remarkable because of its title. The Indian Territory (part of Oklahoma) existed until 1907.

4. Unio itineraria - an early society with an unique business model

Unio itineraria 1835

Frank, Unio Itin. 1835

Unio itineraria

The association Unio itineraria of academic persons was established with support of the king of Würtemberg in 1825. The scientific society sent out botanists for expeditions in other countries. The stakeholders financially supported these expeditions by funds in advance with options (shares) to get the collected material. Until c. 1842 the society issued c. 15 exsiccatae. Joseph C. Frank´s expedition to Ohio in 1835 was financed by the U.i. Frank died in 1835 (from yellow fewer). After his death the U.I. issued a second series Frank, Unio Itin. 1837; see https://www.jstor.org/stable/4032788.

Search

... for "Unio itineraria"

5. Plant specimen trade as business with botanists as dealer

F. Karo: Plantae Amuricae et Zeaënsae curavit I. Dörfler

Dörfler, Karo Pl. Amur c. 1900

Ignaz Dörfler

After mid of the 19th century single plant experts and explorers started to act as managers and dealers. Ignaz Dörfler with series like "F. Karo: Plantae Amuricae et Zeaënsae curavit I. Dörfler" (~ 1900) is an example. The life history of I. Dörfler is well documented here.

Search

... for, e.g., "Hohenacker". The Journal "Herbarium. Organ zur Förderung des Austausches wissenschaftlicher Exsiccatensammlungen" appeared between 1908 and 1932 to offer such series for sale (single issues see here and here)

6. Bacteria specimens hidden in herbaria?

Herbarium mycologicum oeconomicum

Thümen, Herb. Mycol. Oecon. c. 1879-1880

Felix von Thümen

Von Thümen was interested in pathogens as well as in the economic use of fungi and bacteria. He issued important exsiccata series. Bacillus anthracis was distributed in several series between around 1875 and 1885. For stories on these anthrax samples in herbarium collections see here and here

Search

... for bacteria or one of the 7 group(s) of organisms as category (e.g. combined with other selection criteria)

fungi/lichens
algae/cyanobacteria
bacteria/viruses
bryophytes
pteridophytes
spermatophytes
zoocecidia/mines

7. Women as editors of exsiccatae

Plantae cryptogamicae quas in Arduenna collegit M. A. Libert

Libert, Pl. Crypt. Arduenna 1830-1837

Marie-Anne Libert

Marie-Anne Libert is one of the 99 notable female editors/ co-editors of exsiccatae. She was a famous botanist, plant pathologist and mycologist. She described several fungal taxa from the Ardennes in the series "Pl. Crypt. Arduenna" with short diagnosis on the printed labels. The name novelities are valid and legitimate, see here. In general, type specimens are often distributed in exsiccatae.

After her death, Felix von Thümen distributed the series Thümen, Mycoth. Univ. Reliqu. Libert. devoted to her legacy.

Search

... for "Reliqu" (legacy)

8. An exsiccata for the participants of the 4th Botanical Congress in Genua 1892

Selectae stirpes Liguriae

Penzig, Sel. Stirp. Ligur. 1892

Julius Otto Penzig

Penzig offered the (non-uniform) sets of the exsiccata-like series to non-Italian participants of the congress and gave a lecture on this. Specimens are found in several major herbaris. The labels (two colours) are assumed to be lithographs.

Search

... for 1400 editors like "Penzig"

9. Scientific societies: Exchange of exsiccatae and exsiccata-like specimen series with printed labels

Flora Lusitanica (Soc. Brot. 1. anno)

Anonymous, Fl. Lusit. (Soc. Brot. 1) 1880-1906

Sociedade Broteriana

The series was issued for 26 years. The species lists were published in the journal of the society, distributed among members of the society and botany enthusiasts, often outside of the academic world.

Search

... for "Appal" (one of the results Anonymous, South. Appal. Bot. Club 01 Distr. Southeast. Pl.)

10. Plant exchange organisations: Exchange of exsiccatae and exsiccata-like specimen series with printed labels

Société pour l'échange des plantes vasculaires de l'Europe et du Bassin Méditerranéen

Lambinon, Soc. Éch. Pl. Vasc. Eur. Bass. Médit. until 2004

Jacques Lambinon

There existed more than 100 plant exchange organisations (see Website of C. N. Schröder here). Around 10 of them published this kind of series, among them famous and long-running series like those of the Société pour l'échange des plantes vasculaires de l'Europe et du Bassin Méditerranéen. This plant exchange organisation ended in 2004, after 90 years of existence. The association distributed finally nearly 20,000 numbered specimen units to their c. 30 member "institutions affiliées" and "membres associés" in exchange. The specimens had at least 30 duplicates. For 20 years organised by Jacques Lambinon (Liège herbarium).

Search

... for "Rochel", "Dauph", "Rub" etc.

11. Institutional herbaria: Exchange of exsiccatae and exsiccata-like specimen series as part of current exchange programs

Bryophyta selecta exsiccata

Inoue, Bryoph. Sel. Exs., since 1970, last delivery in 2024

Yuya Inoue

issued by National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo (TNS).

Two other examples of current series are:

Hafellner, Lichenicolous Biota distributed by the Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften, Karl-Franzens-Universität (GZU)
Khimich, Borovichev & Isaeva, Fungi Murmansk Reg. Exs. distributed by the Russian Academy of Sciences Kola Science Centre (ARAN)

Search

... for, e.g., for "Acade", "Muse", "Univ" and "Instit"; results show series with an issuing organisation as part of the title, example Anonymous, Fl. Hung. Exs. 1912-1932

Some suggestions in relation to IndExs

*Do Storytelling and use the historical information on 2400 exsiccatae, especially that on those series which are in your herbarium collection

*Help to enhence IndExs content (e.g., for Philipp Maximilian Opiz, who distributed six exsiccatae, all still without examplary images in IndExs)

*Help to enhence IndExs content with additional exsiccatae or missing examplary labels (see search interface "exsiccatae without images")

*Create a list of exsiccata series for your herbarium collection using the IndExs directory and the seven categories for organism groups (for M currently fu: 409, al: 63, ba: 15, br: 209, pt: 162, sp: 376, zo: 6)

*Use IndExs REST API (under construction, test version in JSON here), e.g., for integrating exsiccata information in your collection dashboard

*Use IndExs information as resource for ground truth for AI models (e.g. label recognition in botanical and mycological collections)

*Create an IndExs Custom (trained) AI model for text and images to build a technical service to recognize and validate exsiccata series from herbarium labels (for inspiration see https://www.transkribus.org/)

*Discuss the integration of IndExs in CETAF/ DiSSCo services