Collections
The herbarium of the Botanische Staatssammlung München (herbarium acronym: M) comprises about 3.2 million dried specimens of plants and fungi and is systematically arranged. Associated are a liquid collection, a plant galls and leaf mines collection, microscope slide collections, illustrations of plants and fungi, dried fruits and seeds. The collections are worldwide in scope, but with particular strengths in the flora of Bavaria and the Alps, the vascular plants of Brazil, Chile, Middle Asia and parts of Africa, as well as in lichens and fungi. We estimate that 2-3% of the specimens are type specimens. The herbarium grows at an average rate of 16,000 specimens a year and is estimated to house about 25% of the known species of the world. The collections are available for study after prior arrangement with the curators. Members of the curatorial staff will provide a brief introduction about how to use the collections.
Collectors online and Index of the Collectors
A compilation of the collections and an index of the collectors is given by HERTEL & SCHREIBER 1988: Die Botanische Staatssammlung München 1813–1988 (Eine Übersicht über die Sammlungsbestände). – Mitt. Bot. Staatssamml. München 26: 81–512.
An updated version, sometimes called ‘Index Collectorum – M, MSB’ or ‘Index of Botanists and Mycologists – M, MSB’, is online available under the title Index to the collectors represented in the Herbaria M and MSB.
Short portrayals of collectors are presented under Collectors Online.
Collections online
Around 150,000 data records and images referring to herbarium specimens, microscope slides and water colours are online accessible (see Collections Online).
Current Exsiccatae
H. Hertel, Lecideaceae Exsiccatae
V. John, Lichenes Anatolici Exsiccati
F. Schuhwerk, Cormophyta Exsiccata (no longer active)
D. Triebel, Microfungi Exsiccati
IndExs – Index of Exsiccatae
Information on Exsiccatae online: IndExs – Index of Exsiccatae
The online service gives bibliographic information on exsiccata series from herbaria worldwide with focus on examplary specimen labels of series integrated in the Munich herbarium.
Loan Regulations
Loans of herbarium specimens are granted following standard regulations. For loan management we use DiversityCollection, one of the modules of the Diversity Workbench.