4 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 55 



Collection and Preparation of Botanical Specimens 



111 any case, even if the plant be well known, specimens should 

 be collected. These, prepared m the manner to be discussed, make 

 valuable specimens for the ethnological museum. In view of the 

 fact that many individuals doing ethnobotanical work may not be 

 familiar with the proper methods of pressing and handling plants, 

 the following suggestions are made rather explicit and detailed. 

 The necessity for this is suggested by the experience of the writers, 

 who have known such collections to consist of a few dried, shriveled, 

 and undeterminable fragments of plants. 



A portable plant-press is recommended for use in collecting. The 

 collector will supply liimself with sheets of thin, cheap paper (news- 

 papers will serve the purpose), cut to the size of the press; these are 

 used to separate the specimens as collected. The specimens should 

 be large, including, if possible, underground parts, flowers, and fruit. 

 As collected the specimens are temporarily placed between the sheets 

 of paper in the plant-press. Special driers made for pressing plants 

 are highly desirable ; these are of soft, felt-like material and are very 

 durable; two hundred will be sufficient for collections of ordinary 

 size. The material collected should either be numbered (the num- 

 bers referring to data in the field book) or the related data should be 

 included with each specimen. In addition to the information 

 obtained from the Indians, each plant should bear the following data: 

 locality collected, date collected, name of collector. The specimens 

 brought from the field are immediately put into driers; if not pressed 

 while fresh the plants will lose their color and will mold. Each plant is 

 placed between two sheets of paper and two or more driers. The 

 stack of plants, papers, and driers is weighted down with a heavy 

 stone, and all is kept in a dry place. Driers should be changed at 

 least once every 24 hours ; the wet driers are placed in a sunny place 

 to dry; plants should dry within four or five days. 



Whenever possible, information about plants should be obtained 

 from the Indian from the growing plant, as he is thus accustomed to 

 see and know it or to gather it for use. It is sometimes important 

 that the plant be examined by the informant in its natural environ- 

 ment, since it has been learned by experience that plants removed 

 from the places in wliich they grew tend to confuse the informant and 

 are identified by liim only with considerable difficulty and uncer- 

 tainty. 



Probably the best way to exhibit ethnobotanical specimens in the 

 museum is in such mounts as the "Piker specimen mounts,'' by 

 which the material may be displayed in an attractive, instructive, 

 and permanent form. These mounts, made in various sizes, are 

 provided with glass covers; the specimens are arranged on a back- 



