Housing the herbarium

The original herbarium building was in Kings Domain. Built in 1860, it was the only herbarium in Australia for the next 28 years. The walls of the bluestone building were packed with seaweed for insulation. It was demolished in 1935 to make way for the Shrine of Remembrance.

In 1934, a new herbarium was built on the edge of the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was funded by confectioner Sir Macpherson Robertson as a gift to the state to mark the centenary of Melbourne. The herbarium collection was moved into the new building in 1935.

In the 1940s, the Gardens contributed to the nation’s war efforts. The space available to house the herbarium was drastically reduced when the ground floor of the building was vacated for use by the Air Force, reducing the usability of the herbarium collection. Outside, the Gardens were used for training drills, demonstrations of new technology, and a lunch spot for Air Force recruits.

By the 1980s, the evergrowing herbarium collection needed more space, and a semi-circular extension was added in 1989. Herbarium specimens are housed on the ground and first floors of the extension, with the library and archives – which contain artworks, printed material, photographs, media and maps – on the top floor.

Inside the herbarium, the dried plant, algae and fungi specimens are stored in metal cabinets. Most of our specimens have been pressed flat and can be stacked for efficient storage.

Large, bulky fruits, and delicate cryptograms are stored in boxes.

As well as dried botanical specimens, the herbarium houses a ‘spirit’ collection of specimens stored in ethanol. This method of preservation allows threedimensional structures to be maintained, which can be helpful for identification in many plant groups, including orchids. The spirit collection is stored in a fireproof room well away from the dried specimens.

The herbarium is a dynamic collection. New material is continually added as we improve our understanding of the flora of Victoria and beyond. The herbarium collection has yet again outgrown its home, and boxes of specimens fill every available space.