User:Vivek Rai/Central National Herbarium

Central National Herbarium ...

The Central National Herbarium, popularly known as CNH, one of the oldest and largest herbaria in the world, was established in 1795 by Dr. William Roxburgh, the first regular Superintendent of the East India Company’s Garden at Shibpore, Howrah. Dr. N. Wallich (1815 – 1846), the successor of William Roxburgh developed this herbarium to a great extent. The herbarium and the associated Library were moved to a fire and moisture proof double-storied building, built adjacent to Roxburgh’s house in 1883 by Sir George King, the founder Director of Botanical Survey of India. In 1971, a new L-shaped, four storied centrally air conditioned building was constructed to accommodate the ever-increasing herbarium specimens. Apart from the collections within the Indian sub-continent, the herbarium houses a large number of collections from different parts of the globe, which were received from different herbaria as a gift or on exchange basis. Presently the Central National Herbarium possesses about 2.5 million of herbarium sheets belonging to nearly 350 families of plants, which are arranged according to Bentham and Hooker’s system of classification. The area under the jurisdiction of Central National Herbarium is confined to the states of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. CNH has a separate Palynology and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) units. The Central National Herbarium is the nerve center of plant taxonomic research and related activities in India, which caters to the needs of revisionary workers as well as monographers in India and abroad.

Internationally known by the acronym CAL it has holdings of c. 2.5 million plant specimens collected from different phytogeographical regions of India and abroad, c. 15,000 type specimens and a separate herbarium containing c. 12,000 Wallichian specimens. The herbarium houses enormous collections from different phytogeographical regions of India and abroad. The collections from out side India were mainly made by various collectors during the 19th Century, who were deputed from the Royal Botanic Garden, Shibpur, Calcutta. Apart from this, large number of specimens were also received as gift and through exchange of plant specimens. It has classical collections of T. Anderson, R.H. Beddome, George King, F. Buchanan–Hamilton, I.H. Burkill, C.C. Calder, C.B. Clarke, H. Collett, T. Cooke, J.F. Duthie, J.S. Gamble, H.H. Haines, D. Prain, W. Roxburgh, J.D. Hooker, W. Griffith etc. Besides these herbarium holdings, CAL is also in the possession of many archival materials like Wallich’s Catalogue (Numerical list), original manuscripts of Roxburgh, D. Don, J.D. Hooker, R.Wight, C.B. Clarke, a large collections of Icones including original set of Roxburgh's Flora Indica Drawings (Icones), colour paintings of Orchids of Sikkim Himalaya by King & Pantling etc.

NEW TAXA DESCRIBED Genera 09

Eskemukerjea Malick & Sengupta (POLYGONACEAE) Kurziodendron Balakr. (EUPHORBIACEAE) Neodriessenia Nayar (MELASTOMACAE) Pauia Deb & Dutta (SOLANACEAE) Pseudobrassiopsis Banerjee (ARALIACEAE) Psedodissochaeta Nayar (MELASTOMACEAE) Pubistylus (RUBIACEAE) Taylariophytan Nayar (MELASTOMACEAE) Nayariophyton Paul (MALVACEAE) Species 235

TYPE COLLECTIONS AT CAL

The collection has c. 15,000 specimens belonging to various Type categories like: Holotypes, Isotypes, Paratypes, Isoparatypes, Syntypes, Isosyntypes, Lectotypes, Isolectotypes, Neotypes and undesignated Types. In addition, more than 20,000 negatives, more than 600 Cibachrome prints of Indian types preserved at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew and a large number of photographs of type specimens and type photographs in CD form are preserved in the Type Section of CAL.

details

Established : 1795 Herbarium Acronym : CAL Herbarium Holdings : c. 2.5 million Type Collections : c. 15,000 Wallichian specimens : c. 12,000 Jurisdiction : West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand Area : 2,59,494 sq km Protected area network : 16,235.89 sq km Library Holdings : Books : c. 4,000 Biosphere reserves : 01 National parks : 07 Wildlife sanctuaries : 54 Wetlands : c. 200 (Natural and Man made) Explorations : c. 307 Expeditions : 02 New Genera described : 09 New species discovered : 235 Library holdings : More than 90,000 Books & Journals. Contact Numbers : Phone: (033) 2668 3231-35; Fax: (033) 2668 6226;

 	  	e-mail: calherb @ vsnl.net

External links

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