Pest control Most specimens submitted to the herbarium are quite dry.

But even then some treatment is necessary to protect them against insect pests such as betles and silverish. Pesr control can be placed under three heads: 1. Heating: some herbaria use elctric heat treatment for the specimens. Usinng especially insulated case with a central heating element at the bottom does this. The system is effective but the specimens become brittle. 2. Deep-freezing: in many herbaria, the heating practice (to control insect pests) has been replaced by deep freezing. A temperature of 20 60 C is maintained in these herbaria. 3. Microwave ovens: use of microwave ovens has been in practice in some herbaria. But it is not a very effective method because of the folloowing treasons: a. Sudden vaporization of water in the thicker parts of the plants can make it burst b. Metallic staples on the sheets may burn the sheets because overheating c. often the seed from herbarium material are used for growing plant for research purposes. Because of heat the embrios maybe killed and become useless for this purpose. 4. Fumigation: This is an efective methods for killing pest (silverfish, bettles, etc). In mounted as well as unmounted duplicate specimen. Anyone of the volatile poisonous liquids such as methil bromide (CH3Br), carbon disulfide (or carbon tetra chloride) or CCl4 is used. These are placed in small petri plates, or saucers in the herbarium cases that are kept closed for about a week or sow. A mixture of etilen dichloride and carbon tetra chloride in the ratio of 3:1 was once used as a commom fumigan. The former is explosived without the latter and carbon tetra chloride is highly toxic for human being. Hance, theres band on the use of this fumigan. Downfume -75 can be used as a saver fumigan in herbaria as it has a clearance from environmental agency. Another methods is the use of vapona resin strips or raid strips. One third of a strip is placed in each herbarium case for 7-10 days twice a year. The cases are not to be opened during this period (G Singh 1999). Paradichlorobenzen (PDB) or Napthtalene (powdered) in small cloth bag is sometimes placed in the herbarium cases for the same purpose. Paradichlorobenzen however, is used as an insect repellent. An as it is hazardous to human health, worker should not be exposed to this fumigan for long hours. Fumigants do not kill egg or pupae of insect and there for, fumigation mustbe done at regular intervals.

Herbarium ethics Herbaria are meant for use regardless of the type of collective material for research, identification, teaching, or any other. Maximum efficiency in location materials without endangering the collection is expected. For this a few rules are to be followed. 1. Instructions for the users an introductory guide to the collection should be provided to those who is to use a herbarium. Such a guideline introduce the user to the sistematic and

geographic arrangement of the collections; any color code adopted for the folders; a list of families with their number and the case number in which they are kept; an outline diagram of the arrangement of the cases; details (a list, location, and arrangement) of any special collection such as ecological or economically important plants collection and a list of catalogue of all the genera. Any other information about the herbarium such as proper handling of speciments, use of equipments such as microscopes while the speciment is in use, loan procedures, should also be included in the guideline. All these and any other additional information can be published and printed form and given to the users to save time of both the herbarium staff and visitor. 2. Herbarium speciments are preserved over long period of time and anybody using these should do so with utmost care. Scientifically, these specimens are invaluable and irreplaceable. For proper handling of the specimens a few suggestion are: a. Herbarium sheet should be kept flat; these shuld not be shuffledthrough while in a folder, like the pages of a book. Specimens are brittle and easily damaged. b. Proper storage -either in herbarium cases or in shelves is neccessary. To many specimens in a box can be damaging. c. Books and other heavy objects should not be placed on dry and mounted specimens. d. Loose, recognizeable fragment of any specimen should be placed in packets or envelopes. e. Often it is neccessary to dissect flowers and fruits from the specimens; also materials for anatomical, palynological and chemical studies are required. Materials for such studies should be used sparingly. f. Long-armed dissecting microscopes are usefull as the entire specimen can be examined without bending the sheet. g. To support of any strong material such as a stiff board is neccessary to carry the specimen even to a short distance. h. Nobody should write anything on the herbarium sheet.] i. An investigator wishing to use a herbarium on these other than week days and at unusual hours such as evening, should seek permission to do so in advance. j. Most herbaria give materials on loan to other instituion. Reciprocal agreements between institution are often made for this. k. With time, the herbarium specimen become brittel. Such old specimens should be handled with care. Identification keys Floras normally include a diagnostic key with the help of which an identified plants may be identified. A key has been defined as an olderly arrangement of a series of contrasting statements of which one is to be accepted and other rejected so that the possible names in the key are divided into smaller and smaller groups. Each time a choice is made, one or more taxa are eliminated. A more correctly used term for such a device is determinator. Keys use only the most prominent features which may not always be concerned. It is artificial inthe sense that the pairs of constrasting characters are selected and therefore, the sequence of taxa is often quite and natural.

In the past, particulary during the classical and medieval period, plants were the subject of description and illustration for the purpose of accurate identification. During the seventeenth century, descriptions of plants were accompanied by bracketed diagram, which fungsion both as clasificatory device or conspectus as well as identification air. The use of modern keys derived from the latin word clavis for identification purpose is credicted to Lamarck (SB Jones and Luchsinger (1987).

Single-acces of sequential keys Statements used in such keys are based on the characters of the plants to be identified. A key may be so constructed as to indicate natural relationship or affinity or it may have a purely artificial basis, i.e., regardless of any natural of phylogenetic relationship.