REQUEST FOR DESTRUCTIVE SAMPLING OF HERBARIUM SPECIMENS

REQUEST FOR DESTRUCTIVE SAMPLING OF HERBARIUM SPECIMENS

I understand that permission is NOT routinely granted for dissection or removal of material from:

type specimens,
specimens collected prior to 1900 or other historical collections,
taxa which are known to be endangered or extinct, or
species represented at US by fewer than 5 collections, or species represented by fewer than 5 specimens included in a loan from US.

[Permission for the above may granted under rare circumstances, with review and approval of the Collections Advisory Committee, and removal of samples only by a designated US staff member.]

I understand that if authorization is granted for sampling general herbarium collections, EXCLUDING those mentioned above:
A. Material found in the pockets should be considered first for sampling
B. Samples may be removed from a specimen for a specific analysis by only one investigator, who should be prepared to share his preparations with other investigators. For DNA analysis, I will provide documentation that the sequences will be deposited with GenBank for world-wide access.
C. Sampling will only be permitted where ample material is available on the specimen, and sampling will not diminish the scientific value of the specimen. If specifically requested, pollen or seeds may be removed judiciously. Pollen should not be removed from more than one flower per sheet. Leaf samples for DNA analysis (using PCR, polymerase chain reaction, micro-extractions) may not exceed one square centimeter per sheet.
D. If light microscopy techniques are used, the Smithsonian may request that a duplicate permanent glass slide be deposited at US. The slide label must include the taxon name and author, collector and collector's number, geographic origin of the sampled specimen, and the US sheet number.
E. For scanning electron microscope studies, a photograph should be deposited at US, paper-clipped to the herbarium sheet upon return. The photograph should be labeled with the magnification and, on the back, with the same data as (D.) above.
F. The borrower must affix a label to the sampled herbarium sheets, which includes the name and institution of the researcher, the date of removal of material from the specimen and purpose of removal (ex. DNA, anatomy, palynology, etc.).
G. Any specimen parts which may become detached, should be placed in the fragment pocket on the herbarium sheet from which the parts came.

I understand and agree to the conditions and restrictions as stated.

I submit that the analysis of the samples is intended for academic research only, and is not for commercial purposes.

_____________________________________________________________________________
[Institution and address, requesting permission.]

__________________________________
Researcher name/title (print) _____________________________
Signature of researcher ________________
Date
__________________________________
Advisor or host name/title (print) _____________________________
Signature of advisor or host [if student or visitor] ________________
Date

For Smithsonian Institution use only

We have reviewed the request and [grant] [deny] permission for the sampling of herbarium specimens, with the restrictions stated above.
_________________________________
Representative of the Smithsonian Institution,
U.S. National Herbarium __________________________
Signature _________________
Date

_____________________________________________________________________________ [Institution and address, requesting permission.]
__________________________________ Researcher name/title (print)	_____________________________ Signature of researcher	________________ Date
__________________________________ Advisor or host name/title (print)	_____________________________ Signature of advisor or host [if student or visitor]	________________ Date
For Smithsonian Institution use only
We have reviewed the request and [grant] [deny] permission for the sampling of herbarium specimens, with the restrictions stated above.
_________________________________ Representative of the Smithsonian Institution, U.S. National Herbarium	__________________________ Signature	_________________ Date