Southern Africa has the most diverse, interesting and the richest flora of any area of comparable size in the world. Ten percent of the flora of the world occurs in southern Africa , comprising an area less than 2.5% of the earth's land surface.

The National Herbarium

• is the fourth largest herbarium in the southern hemisphere.
• forms part of an autonomous, state-aided organisation which was established as part of the Department of Agriculture in 1903, and known as the Botanical Research Institute, which amalgamated with the National Botanic Gardens of South Africa (Kirstenbosch), to form the National Botanical Institute, and is now the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
• connects to a country-wide network of herbaria and botanical gardens.
• co-operates with overseas herbaria and botanical gardens.
• forms part of a botanical network, established by the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET), in liaison with ten other southern African herbaria.
• is supported by extensive research facilities.
• maintains the largest computerised botanical database, PRECIS, in Africa . This database will be a keystone of the new South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) database called SIBIS.
• houses the Mary Gunn Library, which is the largest botanical library in Africa .
• has a very effective publishing section responsible for the publications of botanical research: the house journal Bothalia, the Strelitzia series, the botanical art series, Flowering plants of Africa and the taxonomic series, Flora of southern Africa .
• boasts of a collection of more than a million dried specimens, including plants collected by famous South Africans who shared a passion for botany, such as Gen. Jan C. Smuts, J.P.H. Acocks and Eugene Marais.
• keeps the most comprehensive collection of fossil plants from the 200 million-year-old Molteno Formation.

Functions of the National Herbarium:

• Well-trained, dedicated and experienced staff curates the collection of preserved plant specimens, and undertake taxonomic research in order to promote conservation, propagation and utilisation or our rich flora.
• In-house research as well as research from other institutions are published by the publications section.
• A Conspectus Flora of southern Africa is one of the important goals of the research staff.
• A plant identification service is provided for other researchers and the public; a handling fee is charged per specimen.
• A taxonomic information service is provided and the public may telephone, write a letter, an e-mail or fax, or pay a personal visit by prior arrangement.

Visiting the National Herbarium