1.Mounted specimens
IBSC has a collection of more than one million vascular plant specimens specialezed in tropical and sub-tropical plants, including over 7,000 type specimens. All specimens are located in the north building. The collection is still growing up through programs of joint work, expeditions, gifts and exchanges with other institutes at home and abroad.
2.Liquid preserved
The collection of about 7,000 bottles liquid preserved of inflorescences, flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves, and whole plants etc. is available for consultation and study. All of them are preserved in formalin except for seeds (ca. 100 bottles) and stored at a small room near the north building. Each bottle has a barcode, other information such as collecting NO., species name, and collector etc. can be found in the computer.
3.Photos and Images
There are some photos and images of plant watercolor paintings, images of dissection, photos of specimen or type specimen from other herbaria, photos of living plants, chromophotograph or photocopies of presswork etc. Photos and images were mounted at specimen sheets and arranged at specimen arks with the same system as specimens.
4.Literatures
Some journals, local floras, Flora of China, monographs etc. are stored at specimen arks with specimens, which is very convenient for people checking specimens and is one of the features of IBSC. The arrangement of literatures is the same as the arrangement of specimens. The index of genus and family is located at the beginning of the genus and family respectively. The literatures of species are located at the beginning of the specimens of this species.
5.Collection Notes
Field collecting notes are the most important original material of collectors and one of the important ways to search specimens. The collecting notes include collector, location, habitat, plant description, and collecting date etc. So far, IBSC holds about 1000 pieces of collection record from all researchers, collecting teams and graduate students at South China Botanical Garden. All of those collection records are kept in south building of this herbarium.
