Fern collections
The Natural History Museum houses one of the most important collections of ferns and other seed-free vascular plants in the world, with around 280,000 specimens.
Covering global fern diversity, the collections have particular geographical strengths in:
- Europe and the British Isles
- Malesia
- Indian subcontinent
- tropical America
- Macaronesia
The collections span from the 17th century to the present day and are especially valuable given their richness in types and historical collections. Our fern type specimens are estimated to exceed 7,000 in number, representing perhaps 20% of published fern names.
-
Fern collection statistics
Details of the numbers of specimens and preparation types in the Museum's fern collections.
-
Major fern collections
The Museum holds important historical fern collections, including those of the founder of modern fern taxonomy, as well as modern collections from around the globe.
-
Collections management and curation
Learn more about the curation of fern collections at the Museum.