Barona Cultural Center & Museum

Week 2, Heritage Class
 

During week two, students learned how to remove the very fragile plant specimens from their original card. The index cards used by the collector in the 1970s and early 80s have yellowed due to the acidic nature of the paper, and plants were attached with non–archival masking tape. Each student used tweezers to carefully remove the specimen. The students then re–housed their plants on 11 ½ x 16 ½ acid–free herbarium sheets. A neutral pH glue was used to adhere the specimens to the paper. In each corner of the herbarium sheet, the following were placed: a photograph of the living plant, a fragment envelope for any loose pieces to be kept, a specimen label with taxonomic plant information, and the original hand–written notes from the collector. The goal is for the specimens to be properly housed using preservation standards, so they can be kept in perpetuity.