The Herbarium

Fungi

All of the material of Uredinales and Fungi imperfecti was saved, while the remainder of the herbarium of Fungi was destroyed. Several additional types from different groups of Fungi were saved because they were kept in the public department of the Museum, e.g. types of J. F. Klotzsch and P. Hennings (cf. Kohlmeyer 1962a, 1962b). Other important collections (including several types) were saved because they were kept in safer parts of the building. Among these are the herbaria of C. G. T. Preuss (cf. Jülich 1974) and Th. Nitschke (cf. Gerhardt & Hein 1979), see also "Selected collections" in the herbarium menu).

Lists of extant types of Fungi described by W. Kirschstein and G. Otth were published by Hein & Gerhardt (1981) and Hein (1985) respectively. In 1979 the Fungus collection of the Biologische Bundesanstalt at Berlin-Dahlem was presented to the Botanical Museum. This was a collection of more than 50,000 specimens of mostly parasitic fungi from all over the world (but mainly C. Europe).

The Fungus herbarium of the Botanical Museum comprised about 250,000 specimens according to an estimate of J. Kohlmeyer in 1962. Today there are more than 300,000 specimens.

[Text from P. Hiepko in Englera 7: 219-252, 1987; modified]