Algae collections
The seaweed Delesseria sanguinea.
The algae collection is one of the largest in the world, with more than a quarter of a million specimens from around the globe.
Algae specimens account for about five per cent of the Museum’s botanical collections. The diatom collections are curated separately.
Find a specimen
The collections are being digitised and are accessible via the Data Portal.
Specimen numbers
Specimens
400,000
Type specimens
9,810
Species
6,000
Strengths
The algae collections consist of around 400,000 specimens. The main algal groups represented here are:
- red, green and brown seaweeds
- freshwater algae, including charophytes
- cyanobacteria
The algae collections include:
- some of the earliest specimens held in the Museum, dating back to the seventeenth century
- expanding contemporary collections
- around 10,000 algal type specimens
Specimens
Red algae (Rhodophyta): 120,000
Brown algae (Phaeophyceae): 50,000
Marine green algae (Chlorophyta): 35,000
Freshwater and terrestrial green algae (Charophyta): 18,000
Cyanobacteria (Cyanophyta): 8,000
Other groups (including euglenoids and xanthophytes): 1,000
Type specimens
Red algae (Rhodophyta): 5,500
Brown algae (Phaeophyceae): 2,000
Marine green algae (Chlorophyta): 1,500
Freshwater and terrestrial green algae (Charophyta): 800
Cyanobacteria (Cyanophyta): number unknown
Other groups (including euglenoids and xanthophytes): 10
Material type
Herbarium sheets: 230,000
Boxed collection: 4,000
Microscope slides marine: 24,000
Microscope slides fresh: 10,000
Liquid (spirit) marine: 6,000
Liquid (spirit) fresh: 3,000
Unincorporated collections: Around 15,000
Historical bound volumes: Around 80
Major collections
The earliest algae specimens are in the Sir Hans Sloane Herbarium, the Museum’s founding collection, with material dating from the early 1600s to the mid-1700s.
The collections of Adam Buddle are of particular note. They are incorporated here and include seaweed specimens collected from UK shores in the 1690s.
Recent important collections
In 1970, the algae collections at the Museum and the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, were amalgamated. The size of the Museum’s algae collection doubled, dramatically increasing the number of type specimens and those of historical importance.
Recent collections are the vouchers for field research and/or published revisions and floras, such as the Seaweeds of the British Isles series.
Collectors
Historical
W H Harvey
J Hooker
Dawson Turner
E Batters
F Schmitz
A D Cotton
M Foslie
W and G S West
E M Holmes
J Lightfoot
Maze and Schramm
FE Fritsch
Contemporary
K Drew
A W Griffiths
G Dickie
A Hassall
J Ralfs
W Joshua
E Jenner
G O Allen
H and J Groves
G R Bullock-Webster
T B Blow
Expeditionary voyages
JA Brodie
YM Chamberlain
WF Farnham
DM John
LM Irvine
CA Maggs
JH Price
I Tittley
Country of origin
The herbarium has a global coverage. The UK is particularly well represented, with a timeline of specimen data going back over 250 years.
Early collections
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
North America
South America
Falkland Islands
Contemporary collections
West Africa
Oman
United Arab Emirates
Iceland
