TITLE: Herbarium Specimens
AUTHORS: Sabine St-Jean

[DESCRIPTION]
<div class = "text-blocks"><div class = "text-block"><span>Here we describe the standardised protocol used by the </span><a href="http://www.caboscience.org/" style = "text-decoration:underline;color:blue;cursor:pointer;"><span style = ":;">Canadian Airborne Biodiversity Observatory</span></a><span> (CABO) to collect, press and store herbarium specimens. The goal of this protocol is to validate the identification of species that were identified during the vegetation surveys, for as many species as possible, but with the priority of the vegetation crew always remaining to complete all the vegetation surveys.</span></div></div>

[STEPS]
?. [Specimen Collection]
Create the plant record in Fulcrum.
?. [Specimen Collection]
In Fulcrum, under Plants ⟶ Metadata, select the appropriate project (see Open Vegetation Survey Protocol → Guidelines → Site Specific Infos).
?. [Specimen Collection]
Under Plants ⟶ Site and Plot, select the appropriate site (see Open Vegetation Survey Protocol → Guidelines → Site Specific Infos) and plot, if applicable.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Under Plants ⟶ Site Plot Information, select the appropriate site ID (see Open Vegetation Survey Protocol → Guidelines → Site Specific Infos).
?. [Specimen Collection]
Under Plants ⟶ Plant, answer to Plant Tagged?. Answer Yes if the precise georeferencing of the plant is not done right away (for example, if the Trimble GPS is not available). Mark the location of the plant specimen using a stake with labelled flagging tape (format: [InitialLastNameResearcher]-[SpeciesLatinName]). In Fulcrum, enter the Tag ID (same format) and select the tag type (stake at plant base). Answer No if the precise georeferencing of the plant is done right away. In that case, no stake has to be installed.If desired, take a photo of the plant and upload it next to Plant Photos.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Under Plants ⟶ Plant First Occurrence, enter the name of the observer and the date of the observation.
The default entries are the name of the person logged into Fulcrum and the current date.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Under Plants ⟶ Location, use the Trimble connected to your cellphone (or your cellphone GPS if the Trimble GPS is not available right away) to georeference the plant by clicking on Update Location with GPS - coordinates will automatically be imported to the Latitude and Longitude fields.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Under Plants ⟶ Taxon, select the species of the plant.
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Under Plants ⟶ Taxonomic Identification, indicate the name of the person identifying the plant as well as the date of the plant identification and the followed identification protocol.
The default entries are the name of the person logged into Fulcrum and the current date.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Save your record.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Collect the plant specimen with its roots and store it in a Ziploc bag labelled with the species latin name, the plant ID and the date. Remove the tag once the specimen has been collected.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Select a plant specimen to be collected outside the plots.
The species has to be identified in at least one of the vegetation surveys. One herbarium specimen per species is sufficient. Collect enough specimens to fill a newspaper page if the specimens are small.Collect herbarium specimens for as many surveyed species as possible, per site, but the priority of the vegetation crew always remains to complete all of the vegetation surveys.Also follow this procedure to collect samples of unknown plants.
?. [Specimen Pressing]
Press the collected plant specimens. Label the newspaper with the site and date of collection, the name of the species, and the plant ID. No need to mount the specimens.
Follow the guidelines indicated here: https://www.herbier.ulaval.ca/en/a_propos/confectionner_un_herbier/.
?. [Pressed Specimen Record]
Create an entry for each herbarium specimen in Fulcrum under Pressed Specimens.
?. [Pressed Specimen Record]
Under Metadata → Project, select the appropriate project; under Site and Plant → Plant, select the appropriate plant.
?. [Pressed Specimen Record]
Under Collection Event, select the collector's name and the date that the plant was collected.
?. [Pressed Specimen Record]
All other fields are optional.
?. [Pressed Specimen Record]
Bring the pressed specimens to Montréal's Botanical Garden in order for them to be mounted and stored at the Marie-Victorin Herbarium.
?. [Specimen Collection]
Store the specimen in a cool environment between collection and pressing.
?. [Pressed Specimen Record]
Save your record.