Practical 2: Making a herbarium from leaves
A herbarium is a collection of dried plants, used to study and compare plants. In this lesson we make a herbarium from the leaves of 10 plants. Equipment: plant leaves, white paper, tape, newspaper, pieces of plywood. With a parent’s or teacher’s permission, leaf samples are taken from ordinary, common plants around school or home; rare or protected plants and flowers in a national park are not picked. Leaves are wiped of dust with a dry cloth and laid flat between sheets of newspaper or paper. The samples are stacked, placed between two boards and weighted with heavy books so that they dry flat. The newspapers are changed every day to prevent mould. When the leaves are dry and stiff they are taped onto white paper. The plant’s name and the date it was collected are written underneath. Such sheets together form a herbarium album.
With a parent or the teacher gather 10 different leaves from the yard and make a herbarium by the steps above. On each sheet write the name, the date and a short description of the leaf shape. Safety: ask an adult before touching any unfamiliar plant – some plants irritate the skin; wear gloves; do not take thorny branches; wash your hands with soap at the end; do not drop heavy books on your feet.