University of Melbourne Herbarium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Established | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Address | Room 119, BioSciences 3 (Old Natural Philosophy Building) The University of Melbourne |
| Location | , Victoria , Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°47′50″S 144°57′36″E / 37.79722°S 144.96000°E |
 Interactive map of The University of Melbourne Herbarium | |
| Website | The University of Melbourne Herbarium |
The University of Melbourne Herbarium is a teaching and research herbarium within the School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne in Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Its Index Herbariorum code is MELU.[1]
The University of Melbourne Herbarium is the largest university herbarium collection in Australia, with approximately 150,000 specimens, including 3,500 fungal specimens,[2] and over 150 type specimens.[3]
Under the auspices of Professor Frederick McCoy, the first herbarium kept on the university's grounds was the National Herbarium of Victoria, from 1856 until a dedicated herbarium building was constructed in 1860 close to the present-day location of the herbarium and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.[3][4]
Although it is generally acknowledged that there was a small preserved plant collection already on campus, the university's herbarium was officially established in 1926.[2][5] Reverend Montague Rupp offered the non-orchid portion of his personal herbarium, of approximately 5,000 specimens, to his alma mater Trinity College.[6] The specimens were ultimately sent to the botany department, and wooden cupboards were custom-built to house the new, and significant collection.[7] In 1974, the herbarium was listed in the Index Herbariorum, and in 2014 it became a data provider with the Atlas of Living Australia.[3][7]