What is an herbarium?
Usually when we talk about an herbarium, we are referring to a collection of plant specimens (dried, pressed plants) with plant, habitat and locality information attached. The two biggest herbaria in Cape Town are the Compton Herbarium at Kirstenbosch, which contains over 800 000 specimens, and the smaller Bolus herbarium (300 000 specimens) at the University of Cape Town. CASABIO can be referred to as a virtual herbarium; a collection of digital photos and plant information, which makes it quick and easy to find what you’re looking for, and which doesn’t require the picking of rare and endangered plant species in order to log a collection. • What will I be able to do on the CASABIO website CASABIO will be an extremely useful resource for anyone with a keen or even a passing interest in indigenous plants. On our website, you will be able to: • submit your plant photos and get them identified. • identify plants that you have seen or photographed yourself using our simple, user-friendly
