Substantial early additions to the herbarium collection were conducted mainly by Komarov, V. L. in North Korea, and Faurie, U. and Taquet, E. J. in South Korea from 1897 till 1912. The size of the vascular plant collection increased substantially over the following decades, as a result of the efforts of many Japanese and Korean collectors.
We present comprehensive data for all known type specimens collected in Korea, including family, taxonomic name, authority, place and date of original publication, type status, country, collection locality information, collector(s), and collection number. Specimens are listed alphabetically under their respective families. We have carefully examined all of the original protologue and specimens to confirm the status of type specimens. In many instances, protologue data differ from specimen label data. To provide maximum information, we therefore present all relevant protologue and specimen label data. To maintain consistency throughout the manuscript, we have altered the formatting of some of the original data. Additional isotypes presented here are deposited only at other herbaria, not at the same herbaria. We include the holotype information with the protologue data, identified with a question mark (?) if it was not found as a specimen repository in the possible original herbarium.
Foreign herbaria (including some domestic herbaria) hold approximately 70,000 vascular plant specimens that are collected in Korea, of which ca. 3,500 are types. Our goal is to catalog all Korean vascular plant type specimens by 1945 except a few cases.
Data sources were obtained from major herbaria as follows:
- University of Tokyo (TI)
- Kyoto University (KYO)
- National Museum of Nature and Science (TNS)
- Harvard University (A)
- Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (E)
- V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute (LE)
Our goal is to make this catalogue as useful as possible. If you find errors in this catalogue, please take a moment to send your comments to us. The type collections includ 3,613 specimens by 1945. Of the 3,613 vascular type specimens, 107(3.0%) are fern and fern allies 71 (2.0%) are gymnosperms
and specimens of dicotyledon make up about 81.9% (2,955) of the collection, with 13.2% (480) of monocotyledons. The type collections from Korea includ 3,597 specimens: 1,116 holotypes, 93 lectotypes, and 1,599 and syntypes. Other major herbaria house extensive duplicate collections and isotypes, isosyntypes, and isolectotypes comprise nearly ca. 789 specimens.
The University of Tokyo, Herbarium (TI) houses one of the most extensive collections of Korean flora in the world. The collection comprises nearly 30,000 specimens including 1,961 types (54.5%) from Korea. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (E) represents the second largest collections, 480 types (13.5%). Kyoto University (KYO) and Komarov Botanical Institute (LE) house 384 (10.6 %) and 247 specimens (6.9 %) respectively and rank fourth and fifth across the world. The Japanese herbaria including TI, KYO, and TNS are home to over 66.3% of type specimens of Korean plants.
Many of the largest collections of vascular plants from Korea have been from seven collectors [Nakai, T. (TI collecting years: 965 specimens, 1909–1940 from diverse areas); Faurie, U. (KYO, E: 715 specimens, 1901–1907 from diverse areas), Taquet, E.T. [E, TI, KYO: 686 specimens 1908-1912, mainly from Quelpaert (Jeju)], Komarov, V.L. (LE: 187 specimens, 1897, mainly from Northern Korea)], Uchiyama, T. (TI: 168 specimens, 1900 and 1902), Ishidoya, T. (TI: 137 specimens, 1911-1923), and Mori, T. (TI: 129 specimens, 1906-1916).
Many of the large collections have been from Russain botanist, Komarov, V. L. in 1897 and two French missionaries, Faurie, U. and Taquet, E. J. in 1910s. Additional large collections have been provided by Japanese collectors, Nakai, T., Uyeki, H, Ishidoya, T., Furumi, M., Ohwi, J., Koidzumi, G. and others in 1920s and 1930s..
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Literatures
Much of the published literature on Korean plants is available in only a few select libraries. Botanists who would like to access to the published literature about Korean plants is one of the chief impediments to the efficiency of research in the field. We would like to make available significant biodiversity materials to the researchers that are not under copyright. Our Portal allows users to download select references as PDF files.
Please visit our site. http://hosting03.snu.ac.kr/~quercus1/Korean%20literatures.htm