Plant and Fungi Collections

The IINH Plant and Fungi Collections contain about 200,000 specimens of Icelandic plants and fungi, of which over 150,000 have been catalogued and registered in a database. The sub-collections are: vascular plants, mosses, lichens, fungi and algae. Botanical specimens are preserved in a dried state. The purpose of the collection is to preserve specimens of all Icelandic plant, fungi, and algae species, in order to show their variability and distribution. A large part of all species found in Iceland are currently represented in the Plant and Fungi Collections. Collection items are used mainly for research in the fields of taxonomy, systematics, biogeography and evolutionary history.

Most vascular plant and moss specimens are preserved at the IINH location in Garðabær, in Iceland’s capital city region. Almost all fungi specimens (including lichen) and a sizeable vascular plant collection are preserved at the Akureyri branch of the IINH. Collection items may be temporarily loaned out for exhibition and research purposes (see our Loans policy).

Collection items are catalogued in a database using the Darwin Core data standard. Collection data can be partially accessed on the fact pages on classification of the biota and the Flóra Íslands website (in Icelandic). This includes species profiles and information on their distribution. Researchers can also access information and datasets on international sites like Global Biodiversity Information Facility (Gbif) and Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).