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NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF UKRAINE
M.G. KHOLODNY INSTITUTE OF BOTANY
A.V. FOMIN BOTANICAL GARDEN of the
TARAS SHEVCHENKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF KYIV
V. N. KARAZIN KHARKIV NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
IVAN FRANKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LVIV
UKRAINIAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY
HERBARIA OF THE 21st CENTURY:
ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES
Proceedings of International Scientific Conference
dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the National Herbarium of Ukraine (KW) –
the Herbarium of M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAS of Ukraine
(1 October 2021, Kyiv)
Kyiv – 2021
УДК 57.082.13:582.35/.99 (477)
ББК Є5є/л61 (4 Укр)
Ш 96
ГЕРБАРІЇ ХХІ СТОЛІТТЯ: ДОСЯГНЕННЯ ТА ВИКЛИКИ. Матеріали Міжнародної
наукової конференції присвяченої 100-річчю від заснування Національного гербарію України (KW) –
Гербарію Інституту ботаніки імені М.Г. Холодного НАН України (1 жовтня 2021 року, Київ) – Київ:
Інститут ботаніки імені М.Г. Холодного НАН України, 2021. – 193 с., іл.
У збірнику представлені матеріали Міжнародної наукової конференції присвяченої 100-
річчю Національного гербарію України (KW) – Гербарію Інституту ботаніки ім. М.Г. Холодного НАН
України. Публікації, зібрані тут, торкаються широкого кола питань гербарної справи, серед них:
використання гербарних даних для ботанічних, мікологічних, природоохоронних та
міждисциплінарних досліджень; історії становлення, формування, ведення та опрацювання окремих
систематичних, географічних, історичних, меморіальних гербаріїв, спеціалізованих зібрань та колекцій
типових зразків тощо; впровадження в гербарну роботу цифрових технологій тощо. Розглянуто
значення гербаріїв для освіти та культури.
Для ботаніків, працівників гербаріїв та музеїв, аспірантів і студентів біологічних факультетів.
HERBARIA OF THE 21st CENTURY: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES.
Proceedings of International Scientific Conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the National
Herbarium of Ukraine (KW) – the Herbarium of M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAS of Ukraine
(1 October 2021, Kyiv). – Kyiv: M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAS of Ukraine, 2021. – 193 р.,
ill. The book presents materials of the International Scientific Conference dedicated to the 100th
anniversary of the National Herbarium of Ukraine (KW) – the Herbarium of M.G. Kholodny Institute
of Botany, NAS of Ukraine. The publications that represented here, such a wide range of herbarium
management, including the use of herbarium data for botanical, mycological, conservation, and
interdisciplinary research; history of formation, development, maintenance, and investigation of
particular systematic, geographical, historical, memorial, specialized collections and collections of
types specimens, etc.; introduction of digital technologies into herbarium work, etc. The significance
of herbariums for education and culture is considered.
For botanists, employees of herbaria and museums, graduate students, and students of
biological faculties.
Рецензенти:
д.б.н. Н.А. Бісько, Інститу ботаніки ім. М.Г. Холодного НАН України (Україна)
д.б.н., П.Є. Булах Національний ботанічний сад ім. М.М. Гришка НАН України (Україна)
Редакційна колегія:
член-кореспондент НАН України С.Л. Мосякін,
д.б.н., проф. Л.О. Тасєнкевич, к.б.н., ст.н.с. Н.М. Шиян, к.б.н., ст.н.с. І.Г. Ольшанський,
к.б.н. С.Л. Жигалова
Наукове видання
Затверджено до друку Вченою радою Інституту ботаніки ім. М.Г. Холодного НАН України
(Протокол № 15 від 7 грудня 2021 р.)
ISBN 978-966-02-9798-2 (електронне видання)
© Автори статей, 2021
© Інститут ботаніки ім. М.Г. Холодного НАН України, 2021
HERBARIA OF THE 21st CENTURY: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES
Kyiv, 2021
5
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE OF THE CONFERENCE:
Chair:
Sergei L. Mosyakin, Corr. Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Prof., Dr. Sci., Director of the M.G.
Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, President of the Ukrainian
Botanical Society (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Co-chairs:
Petro M. Tsarenko, Corr. Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Prof., Dr. Sci., Head of the Department
of Phycology, Lichenology, and Briology, curator of Algotheca (KW-A) of the M.G. Kholodny
Institute of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Sergiy Y. Kondratyuk, Corr. Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Prof., Dr. Sci., Head of the Laboratory
of Lichenology and Briology, curator of the Lichenological Herbarium (KW-L) of the M.G.
Kholodny Institute of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Vasyl P. Heluta, Prof., Dr. Sci., Head of the Department of Mycology of the M.G. Kholodny Institute
of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Maryna M. Gaidarzhy, Dr. Sci., Senior Researcher, Director of O.V. Fomin Botanical Garden of
the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Lydia O. Tasenkevich, Dr. Sci., Prof., Scientific Curator of the Herbarium (LW) of the Ivan Franko
National University of Lviv (Lviv, Ukraine)
Secretariat:
Natalia M. Shiyan, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Head of the National Herbarium of Ukraine (KW),
M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Organizing committee:
Vitalii P. Kolomiichuk, Dr. Sci., Associate Professor, Deputy Director for Research of the O.V.
Fomin Botanical Garden of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Zoya M. Tsymbalyuk, Dr. Sci., Senior Researcher, Head of the Laboratory of Micromorphology
and Paleopalynology, Curator of the Palynotheca (KW-P) of the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany
(Kyiv, Ukraine)
Silva Žilinskaitė, Dr. Sci., Researcher at the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University (Vilnius,
Lithuania)
Yuriy G. Gamulya, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Botany and Plant
Ecology, V.N. Karazin National University of Kharkiv (Kharkiv, Ukraine)
Vitaliy M. Virchenko, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Curator of the Bryological Herbarium (KW-B) of
the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Mariya O. Zykova, Ph.D., Curator of the Mycological Herbarium (KW-M) of the M.G. Kholodny
Institute of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Igor G. Olshanskyi, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Department of Systematics and Floristics of Vascular
Plants, M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Svitlana L. Zhygalova, Ph.D., Researcher, Department of Systematics and Floristics of Vascular
Plants, M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany (Kyiv, Ukraine)
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107
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AP GOOSSENS HERBARIUM (PUC):
90 YEARS OF SUPPORTING TAXONOMICAL AND ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
IN CENTRAL SOUTH AFRICA
A. Levanets, S.J. Siebert & M. Struwig
North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
20868421@nwu.ac.za, Stefan.Siebert@nwu.ac.za, 12516309@nwu.ac.za
Abstract. The A.P. Goossens Herbarium (PUC) was founded by Antonie Goossens in 1932 and
today it holds over 30 000 specimens from central South Africa. A brief history of herbarium
establishment, development as well as its educational purposes, results of scientific studies
(taxonomical, ecological and biogeographical) and current status and problems are described and
discussed.
Keywords: AP Goossens Herbarium, North-West University, taxonomical and ecological studies.
The Botany Department of North-West University (NWU) turned 100 years in 2020 (Cilliers
et al. 2021). The NWU is located in Potchefstroom (one of three campuses) in central South Africa,
approximately 150 km south-west of Johannesburg. The university was established in 2004 after the
merger of three small universities, one which was the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher
Education (PU for CHE) that had its origin in 1920 as the Potchefstroom University College, with
Botany one of the core subjects to be lectured since its establishment. In the 1930s, after the
appointment of Antonie Goossens, plant taxonomic research became an active research field for
botanists at the university campus in Potchefstroom and necessitated the establishment of a
herbarium.
The Herbarium of the PU for CHE was founded by Goossens in 1932 and is now 90 years old.
Considering its location in the Grassland Biome, the early taxonomic work was mainly concerned
with the region’s rich diversity of grasses and the first main contribution was the description of the
genus Bewsia Gooss. (Goossens 1941). This was followed by several grass species new to science,
for example Anthephora argentea Gooss., Enneapogon spathaceus Gooss., Sporobolus bechuanicus
Gooss., Styppeiochloa gynoglossa (Gooss.) De Winter, Tarigidia aequiglumis (Gooss.) Stent and
Urochloa stolonifera (Gooss.) Chippind. (Goossens & Philips 1932). It therefore is quite fitting that
the oldest specimen in the collection is of a grass species, Dactyloctenium aegypticum (L.) Willd.,
which was collected in 1886 in Amboland, Namibia, by Hans Schinz. Subsequently the herbarium
became widely recognized for its large, regionally representative collection of grass specimens. In
recognition of his vision to establish the herbarium, it was officially named the A.P. Goossens
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Herbarium by the sixth curator, Matt Buys. Today it holds over 30 000 specimens from central South
Africa for educational and research purposes.
Wynand Louw succeeded Goossens as taxonomist and curator in the 1960s. As the herbarium
was closely associated with the campus botanical garden, the focus of the collection shifted to provide
voucher material of the reference living collection for the description of new species of succulents.
In this time little published scientific works emanated and activities of the herbarium were centred
around discovery. Louw’s life work is commemorated in Euphorbia louwii L.C. Leach. Daan Botha
succeeded Louw in 1971 and the herbarium was actively refurbished for taxonomic research, leading
to the training of taxonomists at the university for the first time. Many of these taxonomists went on
to hold prominent positions at other universities and government departments. Under his supervision
various taxonomic studies were conducted (Table 1) on a range of genera, such as Antizoma
(Menispermaceae), Brachylaena (Asteraceae), Crabbea (Acanthaceae), Eugenia (Myrtaceae),
Sphedamnocarpus (Malphigiaceae) and Vitex (Lamiaceae). Various taxonomic changes were
proposed (e.g. Bredenkamp & Botha 1993). Botha also used the herbarium collections to compile
field guides for surrounding nature reserves (Botha and De Villiers 1984).
Gideon Smith succeeded Botha in 1986, and as a succulent enthusiast had a strong research
interest in the generic circumscription of Aizoaceae, Asphodelaceae and Crassulaceae, which
subsequently led to the revision of several genera (Smith & Van Wyk 1991), especially at the National
Botanical Institute of South Africa in later years. Unfortunately, very little material from his research
were deposited in the herbarium. The herbarium did, however, receive various specimens from other
botanical studies during this period (e.g. Kruger et al. 1988). After a short term, Smith was succeeded
by Danie Theunissen in 1992. Theunissen was a grass ecologist and the extensive grass collection,
combined with his taxonomical knowledge, allowed him to identify grass ecotypes for application in
agriculture and rehabilitation. His work culminated in a range of ecosystematic accounts of ecotypes
in grass genera such as Digitaria, Eragrostis, Setaria and Themeda (Theunissen 1992), which had
wide application in agriculture and industry. The herbarium played a significant part during
Theunissen’s tenure to provide essential data for the major research drive in the Botany Department
in the 1990s. An integrated approach was followed involving all botanical disciplines to study
grassland community ecology in a dynamic environment (Bosch & Booysen 1992). The research
focus was on systems ecology and the subsequent models which were develop made extensive use of
herbarium data to promote sustainable land management, and also making it possible to address the
restoration of degraded rangelands.
At the turn of the century, the herbarium once again became a centre for taxonomic research.
Matt Buys was appointed taxonomist and curator in 1998 and had a keen interest in state-of-the-art
methods and equipment, renamed the herbarium, and relocated it from the botanical garden to its
HERBARIA OF THE 21st CENTURY: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES
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current location. He dedicated much of his research to the genus Lobostemon (Boraginaceae), for
which he described various new taxa (Buys & Van der Walt 1996), and constructed a phylogeny for
Delosperma (Aizoaceae). Taxonomic training became a priority once again and under his supervision
the genera Drimiopsis (Hyacinthaceae), and Ruschia (Aizoaceae) were revised (Table 1). He also
developed the first database of the collection which is now hosted on the BRAHMS platform.
Since 2007, taxonomic work has mainly focussed on Boerhavia and Commicarpus in the
Nyctaginaceae (Struwig & Siebert 2013), including various taxon-specific descriptions of edaphic
specialists. The revision of the Nyctaginaceae in southern Africa resulted in the description of a new
species of Boerhavia and a new variety of Commicarpus, both from Namibia (Struwig et al. 2015).
Regional geoecological studies have led to the discovery and description of rare and endemic edaphic
specialists from Sekhukhuneland in Limpopo (Siebert et al. 2010). A phylogenetic study was also
undertaken of the southern African Andropogoneae (Poaceae) to determine the potential of gene flow
from Saccharum hybrids to wild relatives (Snyman et al. 2018). Current, ongoing taxonomic revisions
are focussed on the Molluginaceae, and Nananthus and Ruschia in the Aizoaceae. Various
descriptions of new species in Combretum, Nananthus, Rhoicissus and Stylochaeton are ongoing.
Taxonomists at NWU have made a concerted effort to contribute to national (Siebert et al.
2010) and regional (Struwig et al. 2015) efforts to categorize and name plants. Subsequently, in recent
years, closer collaboration has been sought and established with the Pretoria National Herbarium of
the South African National Biodiversity Institute (PRE) through the appointment of two of their
taxonomic experts as extraordinary lectures to improve the functioning of the herbarium, provide
database support and stimulate collaborative fieldwork. This has largely improved supervision of
taxonomic studies, student training and increased taxonomic outputs (Bester & Nicholas 2018). It is
envisaged that this collaboration will grow and strengthen the expertise of young taxonomists
employed by the university to further establish the herbarium as an important focal point for
taxonomic research in central South Africa.
Overall, the herbarium collection mostly covers central South Africa, but has a much wider
coverage stretching beyond country borders into Botswana and Namibia. The majority of specimens
(at least 50%) were collected in the eastern part of the North-West and northern part of the Free State
provinces in South Africa. This specific regional focus with many sets of vouchers per species has
enabled other botanical fields to study land-use change in the Grassland and Savanna biomes to
measure and compare species loss (Du Toit et al. 2016) and character traits (Siebert et al. 2021) of
the fundamental units of biodiversity. Subsequently, in support of such studies since 2009, large
collections have been collated (>2000 specimens each) of the Potchefstroom region to Vredefort
Dome (both Dry and Mesic Highveld Grassland Bioregions), Ganyesa to Griqualand-West (Eastern
Kalahari Bushveld Bioregion), and Dwarsberg to Impala Platinum (Central Bushveld Bioregion).
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Table 1. Taxonomic research conducted in A.P. Goossens Herbarium and which contributed to the
understanding of the South African flora.
Year
Student
Title
Paper
1978
Van Wyk, A.E.
A taxonomic-anatomical study of representatives
of the genus Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) in South
Africa
Van Wyk et al.
1982
1983
De Villiers, P.D.
A taxonomic-morphological investigation of the
South African representatives of
Sphedamnocarpus (Malpighiaceae)
-
1988
Bredenkamp,
C.L.
A taxonomic study of the genus Vitex L.
(Verbenaceae) in southern Africa
Bredenkamp &
Botha 1993
1982
Buys, S.
A taxonomic investigation of the South African
representatives of Crabbea Harv. (Acanthaceae)
-
1990
Cilliers, S.S.
Taxonomic investigation of the Southern African
representatives of the genus Brachylaena R.Br.
Cilliers 1993
2000
Schoeman, L.L.
A systematic study of Ruschia Schwantes
section Ruschia (Mesembryanthemaceae Fenzl).
-
2004
Lebatha, P.D.
A systematic revision of Drimiopsis Lindl. &
Paxt. (Hyacinthaceae)
Lebatha et al.
2006
2011
Struwig, M.
A systematic study of Boerhavia L. and
Commicarpus Standl. (Nyctaginaceae) In
southern Africa
Struwig &
Siebert 2013
2018
Khanyi, H.
Relatedness of Saccharum species hybrids and
wild relatives (Poaceae) in eastern South Africa
Snyman et al.
2018
The herbarium also serves as a repository for medicinal (Fox et al. 2015) and food plant (Van
der Walt 2009) vouchers, and is actively utilized by all three campuses. The herbarium has also been
part of international projects to collect, store, accession and manage plant material obtained as part
of large international projects, such as DNA barcoding (Bezeng et al. 2017), urban biodiversity
surveys (Cubino et al. 2021) and metallophyte assessments (Siebert et al. 2018). These projects have
allowed the herbarium to build up collections of international value. Despite the immense value of
the collection and the continued drive to be relevant in a modern era, the maintenance and growth of
the herbarium is still often frowned upon within the academic environment. Currently, two similar
sized South African herbaria had to shut their doors permanently, despite the valuable collections
HERBARIA OF THE 21st CENTURY: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES
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which they hold. After 90 years of service, we strive to have the intrinsic value of the A.P. Goossens
Herbarium to support environmental studies realised, and to keep on serving the scientific community
and the general public with species identifications and storage.
References.
Bester S.P., Nicholas A. 2018. New combinations in Stenostelma (Apocynaceae—
Asclepiadoideae) and two novel species from South Africa. Phytotaxa 361(1): 41-55.
Bezeng B.S., Davies T.J., Daru B.H., Kabongo R.M., Maurin O., Yessoufou K., van der Bank
H., Van der Bank M. 2017. Ten years of barcoding at the African Centre for DNA Barcoding. Genome
60(7): 629-638.
Bosch O.J.H., Booysen J. 1992. An integrative approach to rangeland condition and capability
assessment. Rangeland Ecology & Management/Journal of Range Management Archives 45(2): 116-
122.
Botha D.J., De Villiers P.D. 1984. Trees, shrubs and climbers of the Faan Meintjes Nature
Reserve. Klerksdorp: City Council, 158 pp.
Bredenkamp C.L., Botha D.J. 1993. A synopsis of the genus Vitex L. (Verbenaceae) in
southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 59(6): 611-622.
Buys M.H., Van der Walt J.J.A. 1996. A new species of Lobostemon section Grandiflori
(Boraginaceae) from South Africa. South African Journal of Botany 62(1): 31-35.
Cilliers S.S. 1993. Synopsis of the genus Brachylaena (Asteraceae) in southern Africa.
Bothalia 23(2): 175-184.
Cilliers S.S., Janse van Vuuren S., Kellner K., Krüger G.H.J., Struwig M., Van Niekerk C.J.G.,
Siebert S.J. 2021. Hundred years of Botany at the NWU: contributions towards understanding plant
and algae function, diversity and restoration in a changing environment. Bothalia 51(1): 1-15.
Cubino J.P., Borowy D., Knapp S., Lososová Z., Ricotta C., Siebert S., Cavender-Bares J.,
Sol D., Jeliazkov A., Swan C. 2021. Contrasting impacts of cultivated exotics on the functional
diversity of domestic gardens in three regions with different aridity. Ecosystems 24(4): 875-890.
Du Toit M.J., Kotze D.J., Cilliers S.S. 2016. Landscape history, time lags and drivers of
change: urban natural grassland remnants in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Landscape Ecology 31(9):
2133-2150.
Fox L.T., Gerber M., du Preez J., du Plessis J., Hamman J.H. 2015. Skin permeation
enhancement effects of the gel and whole-leaf materials of Aloe vera, Aloe marlothii and Aloe ferox.
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Goossens A.P. 1941. A new genus of South African Gramineae. South African Journal of
Science 37: 183-191.
ГЕРБАРІЇ ХХІ СТОЛІТТЯ: ДОСЯГНЕННЯ ТА ВИКЛИКИ
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Goossens A.P., Phillips E.P. 1932. The genus Anthephora Schreb. Transactions of the
Royal Society of South Africa 20(2): 189-200.
Kruger H., Van der Merwe M.J., Robbertse P.J. 1988. Floral organogenesis in Securidaca
longipedunculata and Polygala virgata var. decora (Polygalaceae). South African Journal of
Science 84(5): 308.
Lebatha P., Buys M.H., Stedje B. 2006. Ledebouria, Resnova and Drimiopsis: a tale of
three genera. Taxon 55(3): 643-652.
Siebert F., Van Staden N., Komape D.M., Swemmer A.M., Siebert S.J. 2021. Effects of
land-use change on herbaceous vegetation in a semi-arid Mopaneveld savanna. Bothalia 51(1):
1-26.
Siebert S.J., Retief E., Van Wyk A.E., Struwig M. 2010. A new species of Polygala
(Polygalaceae) from ultramafic soils in Sekhukhuneland, South Africa, with notes on its ecology.
South African Journal of Botany 76(2): 345-353.
Siebert S.J., Schutte N.C., Bester S.P., Komape D.M., Rajakaruna N. 2018. Senecio
conrathii NE Br. (Asteraceae), a new hyperaccumulator of nickel from serpentinite outcrops of
the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. Ecological Research 33(3): 651-658.
Smith G.F., Van Wyk B.-E. 1991. Generic relationships in the Alooideae (Asphodelaceae).
Taxon 40: 557-581.
Snyman S.J., Komape D.M., Khanyi H., Van den Berg J., Cilliers D., Lloyd Evans D.,
Barnard S., Siebert S.J. 2018. Assessing the likelihood of gene flow from sugarcane (Saccharum
hybrids) to wild relatives in South Africa. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 6: 72.
Struwig M., Siebert S.J. 2013. A taxonomic revision of Commicarpus (Nyctaginaceae) in
southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 84: 44-64.
Struwig M., Klaassen E.S., Kwembeya E.G. 2015. Nyctaginaceae: A taxonomic treatment
for the Flora of Namibia. Phytotaxa 238(2): 101-135.
Theunissen J.D. 1992. An ecosystematic investigation of Themeda triandra (Poaceae:
Andropogoneae) in the semiarid grasslands of southern Africa. Journal of Arid Environments
23(1): 35-44.
Van der Walt A.M., Loots D.T., Ibrahim M.I.M., Bezuidenhout C.C. 2009. Minerals, trace
elements and antioxidant phytochemicals in wild African dark-green leafy vegetables (morogo).
South African Journal of Science 105(11): 444-448.
Van Wyk A.E., Robbertse P.J., Kok P.D.F. 1982. The genus Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) in
southern Africa: the structure and taxonomic value of stomata. Botanical Journal of the Linnean
Society 84(1): 41-56.
