Description
Tutor: Ángela Cano
Date: Friday 30 October 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom
A herbarium is like a time capsule made of plants – thousands of pressed and preserved specimens that tell the story of our planet’s plant life. The University of Cambridge curates one of the most significant of these, known to scientists as the University Herbarium (CGE). Among its more than one million specimens are plants collected by the man who transformed our understanding of life itself: Charles Darwin. But herbaria aren’t just about the past. They’re living, growing resources that support some of today’s most exciting research across many scientific fields. How are these plants collected, pressed and preserved to last for centuries? What botanical skills are needed to create scientifically valuable specimens?
Your tutor has travelled the world studying the great herbaria and collecting some of nature’s most challenging plants – from spiny giants to tough, long-lived succulents. She’ll show you how to read a plant to collect and press the perfect specimen and how to record the details and images that bring it to life. You’ll also follow the full journey of a herbarium specimen during a visit to the wonderful CGE – seeing how samples are mounted, digitised and added to the collection. And, of course, you’ll encounter historic specimens that form the very foundation upon which modern plant sciences stands.
Detailed Description
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Cancellations, Refunds & Amendments
Cancellations
If you need to cancel your booking, please inform the Learning Office in writing as soon as possible at 1 Brookside, Cambridge CB2 1JE or email education@botanic.cam.ac.uk The cancellation is effective from the date that your written confirmation is received. If you cancel with more than 4 weeks' notice we will refund your balance less 20% to cover administration. For cancellations made with less than 4 weeks' notice we regret that we are unable to make any refund unless we can fill your place on the course. If we are able to fill your place we will refund your balance less 20% to cover administration.
Amendments
Cambridge University Botanic Garden reserves the right to alter any part of the programme if necessary. We will only cancel courses after careful consideration, but reserve the right to do so under exceptional circumstances. In the event of a cancellation, participants will be informed in writing as soon as possible and course fees will be refunded in full.
