Contributing Specimens to the Collections

Most University of Michigan Herbarium (MICH) specimen acquisitions come from the collecting efforts of regional botanists and mycologists, the work of University of Michigan researchers and students, orphaned collections, donations from other herbaria, and donations or bequests from non-academic natural history enthusiasts. We accept donations of specimen- or collector-associated materials (e.g., collecting notebooks, field photographs, important historical correspondence) on a case-by-case basis.

All specimens donations are recorded with an Incoming Transaction Record (ITR) form. This form describes the terms of donation, and must be accompanied by a list or description of the incoming specimens that includes taxon names, number of specimens, collection dates, and locations. The ITR requires a signature from the donor that confirms the specimens were collected legally to the best of their knowledge, the donor has the authority to donate the specimens, and the donor agrees to transfer unconditional ownership of the specimens to the Regents of the University of Michigan. Please email MICH staff (MICH-inquiry@umich.edu) to coordinate this documentation.

We are happy to assist anyone who is interested in depositing specimens to navigate the requirements to do so, including University of Michigan faculty, staff, students, and affiliates seeking to deposit research vouchers. MICH staff can advise researchers in best practices for collecting, documenting, and preserving voucher specimens and navigating permits and permissions. Please let the handling collection manager know if a herbarium catalog number is required to meet publication requirements so we can expedite the accession as reasonable.

The University of Michigan Herbarium should be acknowledged in research that uses or generates specimens deposited in MICH.

Due to limitations in space and other resources, we cannot accept all specimens and retain the right to refuse donations at our discretion. Please review our list of collection strengths and priorities for growth and email MICH staff to determine if your specimens align with our collection growth priorities. If specimens are sent to MICH without prior approval and coordination with staff, we cannot guarantee the specimens will be incorporated into the herbarium collections. We reserve the right to dispose of, transfer, or return specimens that are not sent with prior coordination and are outside the scope of MICH growth priorities as listed below.

Collection growth priorities:

-       Vascular plant families: Cyperaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae, and Podostemaceae.

-       Vascular plants from Michigan, especially those that contribute to the advancement and refinement of the Michigan Flora project (https://michiganflora.net/).

-       Vascular plants from Neotropical regions.

-       Fungi and plants of the Great Lakes region, particularly underrepresented taxa or specimens with DNA sequences or from localities that have field photographs.

-       Fungi from understudied biomes or geographic areas, donated in coordination with researchers from those regions.

-       Axenic cultures of zoosporic fungi – please contact curator Tim James (tyjames@umich.edu) for any inquiries about depositing living cultures into the Collection of Zoosporic Eufungi at the University of Michigan (CZEUM, https://czeum.herb.lsa.umich.edu/).

We cannot accept fluid-preserved specimens.

Specimens should be pressed, if appropriate, and dried, but unmounted. They should not be heavily fragmented or damaged. All specimens are freeze-fumigated upon receipt.

Preparation: pressed, dried plants and their labels should be contained in a folded newspaper ca. 30 × 42 cm (11 ½ ×16 ½ in) area with no plant material visible outside the newspaper. Fungi should be dried and contained in a plastic or paper bag or other box with a field metadata slip and associated digital metadata file or complete metadata slip.

Determinations: Specimens should be identified to species, or at least genus, and have diagnostic morphological features as required for identification. We do not accept bulk unidentified specimens unless the specimens are sent for determination with prior coordination with the appropriate MICH expert.

Specimen Labels: Ensure all specimens have appropriate labels printed on archival acid free paper. Proper labeling of specimens is thoroughly discussed in: Voss, E. G. 1999. Labeling of Herbarium Specimens. Michigan Botanist 38: 57-63. An example spreadsheet and label with commonly required information is available upon request.

List of taxa and localities: Provide a list of the determinations for the specimens included in the shipment, specifically indicating any endangered species that require collecting permits. A summary of the collection localities and dates is required to ensure no specimens were collected without required permits. A digital file is preferred, such as a spreadsheet.

All specimens must be collected and transported legally, in accordance with state, federal, and international laws as applicable. Donors are responsible for understanding and complying with applicable laws and regulations. Additional regulations may apply to the transport of living material, which are not addressed here.

If you are unsure what permits or permissions are required, please email MICH staff and we may be able to assist you.

Failure to include required documentation will significantly delay or prevent the specimens from being accepted and incorporated into the collection.

Land-use permission: Provide documentation that the removal of plant or fungal material from a given locality was performed legally.

For specimens from privately owned property, please provide evidence the specimen was collected with permission from the land owners. For other localities, provide a collecting permit or scientific research permit from the responsible agency, or show documentation that the locality allows the removal of plant or fungal material without a permit. Localities that may require a collecting or research permit include, but are not limited to, nature preserves, State Parks, State Forests, National Parks, and National Forests.

Collecting and transport permits for threatened or endangered species: Include copies of collection and transport permits for endangered or otherwise protected species, if applicable.

The most commonly required permits address the following:

-       International transport of species covered by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). For more information, consult the following resources:

•  Description of CITES Appendices:  https://cites.org/eng/app/index.php
•  Information on CITES permits: https://cites.org/eng/prog/Permit_system
•  Checklist of CITES species: https://checklist.cites.org/#/en

-       Collection and transport of federally-protected species listed in the Endangered Species Act. For more information, consult the following resources:

• Search interface to see listed status for species:
  https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/reports/ad-hoc-species-report-input
  
• Information on types of permits for federally listed species:
  https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/permits-native-endangered-and-threatened-species

-       Collection of state-protected species. Many states have acts that protect and list species considered to be threatened or endangered within the state. For more information about the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Threatened and Endangered species, consult the following resources:

• List of species considered threatened or endangered in Michigan:
  https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/wildlife-permits/threatened-endangered-species/threatened-and-endangered-species-list
• Permit contact information for Michigan:
  https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/wildlife-permits/threatened-endangered-species

International shipments

All international shipments of specimens intended for research or donation must be coordinated in advance with MICH staff to ensure shipments are in compliance with the US Department of Agriculture APHIS regulations.

Institutional gifts or exchange must also include copies of all required permits and permissions to confirm legal collection and/or transport. Alternatively, the gift paperwork must contain the following statement or a statement to the effect of:

 “Per (insert herbarium name here) policies and procedures, we do not accept material that was illegally collected. To the best of our knowledge specimens within this gift were collected legally with any needed collecting and land-use permits/permissions.”