Index Seminum
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Index Seminum meaning in Latin "seed index", is a catalog of seeds of wild or cultivated plants offered free of charge or in exchange of seeds of equivalent value by botanical gardens or arboretums. It is published annually or biennially by these institutions, traditionally in A5 format (148 × 210 mm). Seeds presented in Index Seminum are readily available and kept in seed banks. More than 1000 institutions from 48 countries publish Index Seminum with the intention of establishing a free and fair exchange.[1] The exchange of seeds and spores constitutes one of the main ways of increasing the living collections of botanical gardens, and is also a way of obtaining material for the development of research work.
Generally there are several items that are included in the listings:
- Complete botanical garden references, name, address, etc.
- A concise but complete presentation of the botanical garden.
- The general climatology of the botanical garden referred to.
- Geographical location of the botanical garden.
- A page of information explaining useful services related to the operation of the activity related to seeds.
- A list of the plants of the towns near the botanical garden.
- Occasionally, a list of available species brought from tropical or other locations.
- A bibliography of the reference works.
- Sometimes a list of the people dedicated to caring for the seedbed and exchanges is attached.
The classification of plant species is made by alphabetical order of the families to which they belong, and another by genus. The seeds collected in the botanical garden itself must have a separate classification.
It is important that the origin of the seeds is well specified, clarifying whether they were collected outside or inside the botanical garden itself.