Lalbagh to soon have its own physical and digital herbarium 

In a year’s time, the taxonomy of every species of trees and plants in Lalbagh Botanical Garden will be available just at the click of a finger, as the Horticulture Department has taken up a project of creating an herbarium, which will also be available digitally. 

In a year’s time, the taxonomy of every species of trees and plants in Lalbagh Botanical Garden will be available just at the click of a finger, as the Horticulture Department has taken up a project of creating an herbarium, which will also be available digitally. 

A team of three taxonomists, led by K.R. Keshava Murthy, has been involved in the creation of the herbarium for around six months now.  

“There are 2,950 species of trees and plants in Lalbagh. Herbarium refers to the scientific documentation of every leaf, fruit, flower and bark in their dried forms. These samples will be put up on herbarium sheets, in a scientific manner. We will also provide all the taxonomical information about that species,” said Jagadeesh M., Joint Director (Parks and Gardens), Horticulture Department. The herbarium racks have been procured from Lucknow. 

He added that once the physical document is ready, it will also be digitised for easier access. The herbarium is being set up to benefit students, botanists, taxonomists, environmentalists, and other people who are interested in the flora of Lalbagh, officials said. 

“Imagine that a group comes to Lalbagh to study a particular tree which also yields flowers. When they arrive here, it might not be the flowering season. Instead of just settling for a picture of it in a book, they can check out the live document flower in the herbarium with all the supporting information too. The herbarium is quite hi-tech,” Mr. Jagadeesh said. 

He also said: “This documentation of all the existing species in Lalbagh will help us keep a record of trees which might vanish due to weather factors while also helping us in determining the age of the trees”. 

Along with the herbarium, the Horticulture Department also wants to bring out a document called Plant Wealth of Lalbagh. “Under this broad document, there will be various books like Trees of Lalbagh, Climbers of Lalbagh, Creepers of Lalbagh, and such. While the pictures of a plant will be available on one side of the book, details like its origin, medicinal values, age and other taxonomic details will be available on the other,” Mr. Jagadeesh said.