'Manuscript Slip Catalogue

Component identifier:

Series 28-30

Extent:

26 items

Content Summary:

Including descriptions of plants, written on slips of paper and systematically arranged, the Phanerogams and vascular cryptogams in accordance with Willdenow's edition of Linnaeus's Species Plantarum (1797-1810), the cellular cryptogams by Reichard's edition of that work (1779-1780). The slips now bound in 24 volumes, were originally kept in small Solander cases, and designed to form a complete catalogue of the species of plants then known.'24 vols

The Slip Catalogue includes detailed descriptions in Latin of genera and species of plants held in the herbarium of the British Museum (Natural History). Solander was employed at the British Museum from 1763 until his death in 1782. The first five years of this period he was mainly employed in cataloguing the specimens of the Natural History Department. He catalogued many of the specimens in the Sloane Herbarium and these slips are annotated by capital letters MB HS (Museum Britannicum Herbarium Sloaneanum). Solander also wrote slips for many of the plants collected on Cook's first voyage 1768-1771 including those from Madeira, Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, Society Islands and New Zealand. There are also a few slips for the plants from Australia, Java and the Cape of Good Hope. From 1771 to 1782 Solander acted concurrently as Curator-Librarian to Banks, as well as being Keeper in the British Museum and catalogued many of the plants in the Banksian Herbarium. Marshall (1978) made a study of the Slip Catalogue and has identified the handwriting of Joseph Banks, Sigismund Bacstrom, Herman Diedrich Sporing, Jonas Dryander, Amanuensis B, Amanuensis C and Amanuensis E.

The slips are arranged systematically for the Phanerogams and vascular cryptogams according to Willdenow's edition of Linnaeus's Species Plantarum (1797-1810) and the cellular cryptogams by Reichard's edition of that work (1779-1780). The names of the genera and the page numbers referring to these works are in most cases written sideways on the left hand side of the slips. The slips were originally loose in 57 Solander boxes and later were bound in 24 volumes as follows:

Volume No.

Page Ref to the interleaved copy of Willdenow's edition of Species Plantarum.

Linnaean Classes

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