Western Australian Herbarium
Western Australia's state herbarium and botanical research collection, based in Perth.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Western Australian Herbarium is the state botanical collection of Western Australia and a major centre for the documentation, identification and study of the region's plant and broader non-vascular biodiversity. Based in Perth and operated within the Government of Western Australia's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, it maintains research specimens and associated scientific information used by taxonomists, conservation agencies, environmental consultants, universities, community groups and the public. The collection contains more than 845,000 dried specimens gathered from Western Australia and other parts of the world, with material dating from the eighteenth century to the present. Its holdings cover vascular plants as well as algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, liverworts, hornworts and slime moulds. Among its historically significant material is a eucalyptus specimen associated with Joseph Banks's collecting during Captain James Cook's 1770 voyage along the Endeavour River in Queensland. The collection represents the work of more than 13,000 collectors and records the results of hundreds of botanical surveys and studies. The institution's principal scientific responsibility is the description and documentation of the flora of Western Australia. It maintains the Western Australian Plant Census and provides data through FloraBase, the Australasian Virtual Herbarium, the Atlas of Living Australia and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. These resources make specimen records, nomenclatural information, distribution data and, increasingly, specimen images available to researchers and the wider public. The herbarium also contributes to digitisation and to the development of online biodiversity infrastructure. The herbarium was created through the gradual consolidation of separate collections held by the Western Australian Museum, the Department of Agriculture and the state's forestry administration. Although the government decided around 1928 to create a unified state herbarium, the transfer of museum material was not completed until approximately 1959. The collection subsequently moved through several government facilities before relocating in 2009 to the Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre in Kensington. Its work extends beyond a reference store of pressed plants. The herbarium maintains type specimens and historically important collections in specially protected storage, together with wet specimens, fruits and seeds, photographic material, digital images, microscope-slide resources and developing molecular-tissue holdings. A public reference herbarium supports identification by community members, industry consultants and other visitors. The institution is also connected with the Western Australian Regional Herbaria Network, which links approximately 84 community and regional collections. The herbarium's scientific publications and resources include the journal Nuytsia, Kingia, historical research notes, the Census of the Vascular Plants of Western Australia and the Western Australian Flora descriptive catalogue. Its arrangement of specimens has evolved with botanical science: older systems based on Engler's classification and a decimal numbering scheme were replaced by modern phylogenetic arrangements, including APG IV for flowering-plant families and PPG I for ferns and fern allies. The collection therefore serves both as a historical archive and as an active research infrastructure for conservation and biodiversity management.
History
The origins of the Western Australian Herbarium lie in three government-related botanical collections. The Western Australian Museum established an herbarium under museum director Bernard Henry Woodward, probably around 1895. A separate Department of Agriculture collection developed around the appointment of Alexander Morrison as departmental botanist in 1897. A third collection, commonly called the forest herbarium, was created by the Conservator of Forests from 1916. The agriculture collection was transferred to the museum in 1906 but returned to the Department of Agriculture in 1911. Around 1928, the Western Australian Government decided to consolidate the three collections into a single state herbarium under the Department of Agriculture. The forest material was transferred relatively promptly, while the museum resisted the consolidation and retained its specimens until about 1959. The state herbarium was formally established in 1929 and was initially housed at the Department of Agriculture headquarters on St Georges Terrace in Perth. Charles Austin Gardner was central to the early organisation of the collection. While serving as assistant botanist in the 1920s, he introduced a systematic family arrangement based on Adolf Engler's classification and later developed a decimal numbering system for specimens. Gardner also annotated a botanical dictionary with the numbering scheme, creating a portable working reference for staff. Before 1938, specimens were generally kept unmounted; mounting was completed by July 1946. Early folders used handwritten genus information, later replaced by folders marked with plastic stencils. From December 1933 until 1959, the collection occupied the state observatory building, where it was stored in 25 wooden cupboards. Staff created bound manual indexes to locate specimens, but frequent rearrangement made those systems difficult to maintain. Computerisation in the 1980s eventually replaced much of the manual indexing. In 1959 the herbarium moved to B Block at the Department of Agriculture headquarters in South Perth, remaining there until 1970. A purpose-built facility opened in 1970 at the Collier pine plantation in South Perth. It included climate-controlled, windowless vaults, fire detection and carbon-dioxide fire suppression, specimen-preparation areas, a library, laboratories, a conference room and workspace for visiting botanists. The collection exceeded 100,000 specimens at the time, and the building was designed for roughly 15 years of growth. The staff included professional botanists and taxonomists working toward a comprehensive flora of Western Australia. Departmental responsibility changed in 1988, moving from the Department of Agriculture into the conservation and parks administration of Western Australia. The institution subsequently came under the Department of Conservation and Land Management, the Department of Parks and Wildlife and, currently, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. In 2009, the research collections moved to the Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre in Kensington, their present principal home. The collection has continued to expand through field collecting, surveys, donations and historical material. In 2019 it catalogued its 800,000th specimen; the collection is now described as exceeding 845,000 specimens. Its holdings include materials collected by notable botanists and historical figures, including Robert Brown, Joseph Banks, Daniel Solander and James Drummond. Special vaults protect type specimens and significant early collections, while other facilities support wet specimens, fruits and seeds, images, slides and molecular resources. The taxonomic arrangement has also been updated. A major reorganisation in 2009 reflected the APG III system for flowering plants, followed by adoption of APG IV in 2018. Ferns and fern allies were reorganised according to PPG I in 2020, while gymnosperms follow a standardised modern classification. The herbarium uses a cautious, consensus-oriented approach to future changes, balancing taxonomic progress with the practical need for stable collection management. Its continuing programmes in digitisation, online data delivery, regional collaboration and botanical publishing make it both an archival institution and an active platform for contemporary biodiversity science.
- 2020
PPG I arrangement adopted for ferns
[1]Ferns and fern allies were reorganised according to the PPG I classification.
- 2019
800,000th specimen catalogued
[1]The herbarium recorded its 800,000th catalogued specimen, collected from Chinocup Nature Reserve.
- 2018
APG IV arrangement adopted
[1]The herbarium implemented the APG IV phylogenetic arrangement for flowering-plant families.
- 2009
Collections relocate to Kensington
[1]The research collections moved to the Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre in Kensington.
- 1988
Administrative responsibility shifts to conservation agencies
[1]Responsibility moved from the Department of Agriculture into the Western Australian conservation and parks administration.
- 1970
Purpose-built South Perth facility opens
[1]The growing collection moved into a purpose-built, climate-controlled facility with research, preparation and storage spaces.
- 1929
State herbarium formally established
[1]The government created a unified state herbarium managed through the Department of Agriculture, although museum specimens were not fully transferred until around 1959.
- 1916
Forest herbarium begins
[1]The Conservator of Forests established a separate forest herbarium.
- 1897
Department of Agriculture collection develops
[1]The Department of Agriculture's herbarium developed around the appointment of Alexander Morrison as botanist.
- 1895
Museum herbarium established
[1]A botanical collection was probably established at the Western Australian Museum under director Bernard Henry Woodward.
Products and positioning
A government-operated scientific collection and biodiversity information authority focused on Western Australian flora, conservation science, taxonomic research and public access to botanical knowledge.
Scientific collection
Research herbarium collection
The principal collection contains more than 845,000 preserved specimens of vascular plants, algae, fungi, lichens, bryophytes and slime moulds. It supports taxonomy, conservation assessments, ecological studies, environmental consulting and historical research. Type specimens and important early material are held in protected storage, while the broader collection is arranged for efficient scientific access and electronic management.
Digital biodiversity database
FloraBase
FloraBase is the herbarium's principal online information service for Western Australian flora. It presents taxonomic and distribution information and provides access to collection-derived knowledge for researchers, land managers, consultants, educators and the public.
Taxonomic database
Western Australian Plant Census
The Western Australian Plant Census provides current taxonomic information about the state's flora and reflects the herbarium's role in maintaining authoritative names and related botanical documentation.
Scientific journal
Nuytsia
Nuytsia is the Western Australian Herbarium's scientific journal, publishing botanical research and taxonomic work relevant to Western Australia and its flora.
Reference service
Public reference herbarium
A separate self-service reference collection supports plant identification by members of the public, community groups and industry consultants. It is not intended to duplicate the full research collection but provides practical reference material for many identification requirements.
Brand decisions
2020
Adoption of PPG I for ferns and fern alliesStrategyBackground
Fern classification had developed beyond earlier arrangements and required a current, broadly supported systematic framework.
Action taken
The herbarium reorganised its fern and fern-allies holdings according to the PPG I classification.
Aftermath
The relevant collections were brought into closer alignment with contemporary consensus taxonomy.
2018
Adoption of APG IV taxonomic arrangementStrategyBackground
The collection's classification system needed to reflect contemporary phylogenetic understanding while remaining stable enough for long-term collection management.
Action taken
The herbarium implemented the APG IV arrangement for flowering-plant families, with limited exceptions based on specialist and committee recommendations.
Aftermath
Specimens and collection management were aligned with a widely used modern classification framework.
Recent events
- 2019
Western Australian Herbarium records its 800,000th specimen[1]
Other
The herbarium catalogued its 800,000th specimen, a Stenanthera pungens collected from Chinocup Nature Reserve near Albany, marking the scale of the state collection.
Western Australian Herbarium joins major biodiversity data platforms[1]
Other
Records from the collection are made available through FloraBase, the Australasian Virtual Herbarium, the Atlas of Living Australia and GBIF, broadening access to Western Australian specimen data.
Sources2 sources
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