Discover around 16,000 plant specimens
The herbarium is a collection of dried plant specimens, including marine algae, lichens, mosses and liverworts, ferns, conifers and flowering plants.
These collections are primarily plants collected in NSW, with many from the greater Sydney area, but not exclusively so. Holdings have been sourced Australia-wide, with some collections from as far afield as the remote Macquarie and Heard Islands.
The collection was established for research and teaching and is accessible by staff, students and the wider community. Unlike a museum, plant specimens are housed in boxes and are not on display due to their fragile nature, but the collection can be accessed by arrangement with the curator, Karen Marais.
Each week, a plant of particular interest is on display in our building's foyer. Information relating to these displays can be found on the Plant of the Week page and Twitter at #DowningHerbarium.
The collection is registered as MQU with the international organisation based in New York, Index Herbariorum. The curator represents the herbarium in the Managers of Australasian Herbarium Collections (MAHC). It's part of the Macquarie University Museums and Collections Group (MUMAC).
Inside the Herbarium
Services
- Individual and small group visits
- Assistance with plant identifications for students and staff
- Field herbaria of plant specimens from specific locations assembled for either teaching or research
- A small library of botanical reference books
- Contributing to botanically-related displays in other Macquarie University museums and galleries.
Visiting us
Location: Rooms 148 and 150, 6 Wally’s Walk (formerly E8C)
Opening hours: Tuesdays 9.00am to 2.00pm, or by prior arrangement. If you have any queries or wish to make a booking, contact Karen Marais at karen.marais@mq.edu.au.