About this workshop 

Herbaria lie at the heart of biodiversity research, permanently archiving a treasure trove of plant information that is essential for ecology, biogeography, conservation and restoration. Housed within a herbarium are thousands of preserved specimens, each one with its own unique scientific value, history and beauty.  

But do you know what a herbarium is, or how they’re organised and used? And do you know how herbarium specimens are made?  

This summer 2025, KFBG is opening the doors of its herbarium, offering a rare glimpse behind the scenes and a chance for you to see for yourself how botanists collect and store plant material as evidence of the Earth’s past, present and future vegetation. Curator of the KFBG Herbarium, Senior Ecologist Dr. Jinlong Zhang will describe the fundamentals of plant identification, plant record-keeping and the immense value of herbarium data for understanding and protecting Hong Kong’s fragile flora. Under Jinlong’s expert instruction, you will have the opportunity to make your very own herbarium specimen – to take home and hang on your wall or present to family and friends as an exclusive gift, learning how they combine both science and beauty as you do so.