One sight of a Herbarium-Taiwan and the UK-臺英植物標本館見聞(2)

How to Find the Specimen at Kew- 在Kew找標本

We all learn the the taxonomy rank in school, from kingdom to species. Vascular plants are broadly divided into lycophytes, ferns, and gymnosperms, while the more complex angiosperms are currently classified under Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) IV system . In theory, every herbarium should follow this framework, however, things vary quite a bit depending on the size, character, history and facilities of each institution.

眾所皆知，國中就學過的(?)「界門綱目科屬種」，維管束植物大致可分類為石松類植物、蕨類植物、裸子植物，而最複雜的被子植物現在主要參照被子植物Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) IV系統。照理來說每間標本館只要照這方法排列標本就好，但事實上會根據不同標本館的規模、特色、歷史、設施而有所不同。

At Kew Herbarium, specimens are stored across 6 building, such as wing A, B, C, D, E, and Quad, these were erected for housing collections. Every wing is filled with cupboards, with sorting tables tucked in between. So how do you actually find anything massive? Kew developed 4 different number systems: Family, Genus, Geographical area, and Species, making it possible to locate specimens in a logical way. Here’s how it works:

在Kew Herbarium，植物標本主要放在六棟樓裡(Wing A, B, C, D, E and Quad)。整個建築物群就是為儲存標本而建，周圍滿滿的櫃子，而工作台就間隔在櫃子之間，但在這麼大的標本館要如何找到目標呢? 由於Kew的館藏實在太大了，因此設計四層的編號系統：科、屬、採集地、種，這有助於有系統性的整理。以下試著帶大家找出你要的標本：

Left: the open-gallery layout unique to Wing A; Right: compact mobile shelving in the Quad. 左圖：Wing A 為特有的開放式設計，右圖：Quad 為常見的可動式層架。

Three different numbers on a specimen. 標本上以三個編號做整理。

1. Family- 科

First, you need to track down a mysterious red folder-Index of Families, presenting in every wing, but usually with no fixed location. (like ‘trasure hunt’). The book lists all families along with the name number and location, so once you’ve found your family, head to the designated wing.>>>

首先你必須找到一張神秘紅色本本-科別索引，每棟樓都有，但常常很能找到它(真的)，可能在G樓門口，也可能在1樓的公用桌上(根本是藏寶遊戲)。書中會列出所有科、科別號以及位於哪棟建築，下一步就是前往指定區域>>>

A sample of family no. list. 科別編號清單範例。

2. Genus- 屬

Finding the right family cupboard is just the beginning, the collection is too vast to find, sometime the specimens of common family (like Poaceae) might span half a floor. Opening the fist cupboard’s door, you will find a ‘genus list’ (either a sheet or a booklet, depending on the size of the taxon). This tells the different ‘genus number’. >>>

找到科的櫃子後還差的遠(館藏太大，一個科可能佔據半層樓以上)，打開此科櫃子開頭第一個櫃子，打開後就可以看到一份「屬檢索表」（取決於分類群的大小，檢索表可能是一張或一冊），上面會告訴你不同的”屬別號”>>>累

3. Geographical Area (Collection Area)- 地理位置(採集地)

One more step before you reach ‘species’! At Kew, specimens within each genus are further arranged by different geographical boundaries, so you’ll need to know where your plant came from. Somewhere in the wing (again, not exactly signposted) you can find a world map and an area list, each region tagged with its own number. Note it down. >>>

往「種」邁進前還有一關！Kew的館藏會在「屬」的層級下以不同採集地做編號，所以得先想好你要看的是哪個地方的植物。這個時候一樣在館內的某個角落會有一張世界地圖和一份地區檢索表，標示不同地區的標號為何，找到標號後先記下來>>>

4. 種 - Species

Back to the first cupboard of your genus. This time, looking for the ‘species list’ and find the number of your target species. >>>

接著回到屬櫃開頭，打開後會有一份「種檢索表」，找到目標物種的編號>>>累

Specie numbers in the list. (Someone tagged musical notes here)「種檢索表」記錄不同種的編號。（不知道誰在這畫音符）

Armed with your family, genus, and area codes, navigate to the right cupboard. Pull out the correct ‘genus folder’, then flip through to the species folder matching your species code .

依照前面記下來的科別號、屬別號、地區號，找到對應櫃子。打開後取出「屬套」，再依照種別號順序找到目標物種。

The front label slot on a cupboard: Family, Genus, Area. 櫃子外的標牌：科、屬、地區。

Next time. How to find the specimen at HAST~

下一回，怎麼在HAST找標本~