Herbarium Senckenbergianum

Decentralized Botanical-Mycological Collections


The botanical-mycological collections of the Senckenberg Research Institutes are spread over 5 places: Frankfurt/M., Görlitz, Jena, Weimar and Wilhelmshaven.

The Herbarium Senckenbergianum in Frankfurt/M. was established in 1817, the Herbarium Senckenbergianum in Görlitz dates back to 1823 and the Herbarium Haussknecht (JE) was founded in Weimar in 1896. The two other collections in Weimar and Wilhelmshaven are of recent origin, have a narrow thematic focus and considerable smaller. In Weimar we house a collection of quaternary macrofloras (IQW), in Wilhemshaven a special collection for Dinophyta in Wilhelmshaven (Centre of Excellence for Dinophyte Taxonomy -CEDiT), which is affiliated to the cryptogam collection of the Herbarium Senckenbergianum Frankfurt/Main.

The Herbarium Senckenbergianum comprises a total of approx. 6.1 million specimens. Since our fusion in 2009, staff of the botanical departments meets annually to standardize administrative processes and coordinate the joint collection strategy. One focus is the digital availability of the collections via GBIF, JACQ, Senckenberg Search and content-specific virtual herbaria on the German flora (https://virtherbard.senckenberg.de; https://bestikri.senckenberg.de) or our “Crypto-Hub”. With joint research projects -such as the non-destructive determination of plant nutrients from herbarium specimens of the German and Mongolian flora – we want to advance collection-related research and uncover the treasures of our collections.

Herbarium Senckenbergianum Frankfurt/M. (FR)

Established 1817 by Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main.

1.500.000 specimens.

Focus: worldwide. Specialities: Hesse, Europe, Mediterranean, Mid-Atlantic islands, West Africa, Neotropics; Poaceae, corticolous, crustose lichens from the Holarctic; diatoms.

Important collections: A. Aschenborn, J. Becker, W. Boege, K.-P. Buttler, M. Dürer, J. G. A. Forster, J. R. Forster, J. B. C. W. Fresenius, G.W. Freyreiss, J. A. Futschig, G. Gärtner, M. Goldschmidt, H. Hupke, H. Kalheber, R. O. K. Kräusel, D. Korneck, W. Kuls, H. Lange-Bertalot, J. A. Metzler, A. Nieschalk, G. L. Rabenhorst, E. W. P. S. Rüppell, J. Scherbius, L. P. K. Scriba, F. W. Sieber, G. H. K. Thwaites – see also Index Collectorum (in German).

Herbarium Senckenbergianum Görlitz (GLM)

Established 1823 by Naturforschende Gesellschaft zu Görlitz.

376.200 specimens.

Vascular Plants and Fungi globally. Special collections: south-eastern Germany and adjacent territories of Poland and Czech Republic (Herbarium Lusaticum); Lichens & Mosses (globally) and Characeae of Europe.

Important collectors: J. C. Breutel, E. Wenck and other members of the Moravian brethren (mosses, lichens, vascular plants), F. Gröger (fungi), J. G. Ch. Lehmann (liverworts), G. Zschieschang (fungi), I. Dunger (fungi, vascular plants), H. Jage (>40.000 phytoparasitic fungi, vascular plants), H. Eckardt (mosses), C. G. Mosig, F. A. Schade (lichens), E. Barber, M. Militzer, H.-W. Otto, R. Peck, H. v. Rabenau (vascular plants).

Herbarium Senckenbergianum Weimar (IQW)

Senckenberg Research Station for Quaternary Palaeontology, established 2008 as reference collection for the study of Quarternary plant remains (macrofossils).

4.700 specimens.

Flora of Beringia (Yakutia [NE-Siberia], Alaska) and Europe as reference for the identification of fossil plant parts, vascular plants, special focus on arctic, boreal and steppe plants.

Herbarium Senckenbergianum − Herbarium Haussknecht (JE)

The Herbarium Haussknecht was founded in 1896 by Carl Haussknecht (1838-1903) in Weimar as a private institution.

Size: The Herbarium Haussknecht currently houses around 3.5 million plant specimens and is one of the largest European herbaria.