The vascular plant collection of Boris Achtarov Herbarium (BNHM)
Citation
Palpurina S (2024). The vascular plant collection of Boris Achtarov Herbarium (BNHM). Version 1.12. National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/6ktz6w accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-09-07.Description
The vascular plant collection of Boris Achtarov Herbarium (BNHM) at the National Museum of Natural History in Sofia consists of over 15000 specimens collected mainly from Bulgaria. In 2020 the collections were moved to new storage, where the specimens have been stored under appropriate conditions. Currently, the collection is undergoing a reorganisation and digitisation of the herbarium specimens has been underway as part of the Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) in Bulgaria (DiSSCo-BG) since 2022.Sampling Description
Study Extent
Bulgaria, and adjacent countriesSampling
Most specimens were collected during floristic field studies of the corresponding collectors. Some floristic studies, e.g. those of prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, were done as part of the tasks associated with Environmental Impact Assessments.Some specimens were collected for identification vegetation surveys using phytosociological plots (relevés). Such are plots are coded as AAYY## (where AA stands for the abbreviation of the author, YY is the year of sampling, and ## is the successive plot number) and size is 16 to 100 sq.m. For example, SP1801 stands for the first plots sampled in 2018 by Salza Palpurina. Some specimens come from a project for sampling kurgans (burial mounds) in Bulgaria, which has used nested sampling. In such cases, the code is as follows: kurgan_[ID][exposition: N, E, S, W][size:1, 25], or kurgan_ID_all, which means that the plan was surveyed out of the nested plots.
Quality Control
(1) Checking regularly the database in Specify using specifically designed queries for detecting missing or unusual values. (2) Reviewing flags and issues after publishing in GBIF.Method steps
- Specimens received their first-ever catalogue number upon entering the information on their labels into the database, as the collection had not been catalogued prior to digitization. For the vascular plant collection, we adhere to a standardized format: BG-NMNHS-BOT-############. Some specimens received an additional alternative catalogue number which contains the same number but in a different format: BNHM-############ to match numbers in the corresponding publication.
- The information found on the labels, such as taxon name, locality, date of collection, and the names of collectors and determiners, was transcribed and translated into English before being entered into the database. Names of localities were transliterated using the Bulgarian Law for Transliteration. Names of administrative regions follow the EKATTEs.
- For the transcription of labels, we used two successive approaches: (1) In 2023, specimens were first imaged using mobile phone cameras (initial low-quality images), then information from the images was transcribed and entered, and the initial low-quality images were temporarily linked to their corresponding database records for quality assurance purposes and for matching the newly printed labels. (2) Since Jan 2024, we have adopted the following approach: first, creating a new record in the database to obtain a catalogue number, then writing this catalogue number on the specimen's voucher, and finally, transcribing information directly from the specimen into the database.
- The transcribed information, along with the assigned catalogue number, was subsequently utilized to generate new labels. If the specimen was revised in the meantime, the label would reflect the updated determination.
Taxonomic Coverages
Vascular plants
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Celastralesrank: order
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Ephedralesrank: order
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Geranialesrank: order
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Dipsacalesrank: order
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Cucurbitalesrank: order
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Dioscorealesrank: order
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Asteralesrank: order
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Aquifolialesrank: order
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Ericalesrank: order
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Solanalesrank: order
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Polypodiopsidarank: class
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Poalesrank: order
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Malpighialesrank: order
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Liliopsidarank: class
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Boraginalesrank: order
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Lamialesrank: order
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Caryophyllalesrank: order
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Buxalesrank: order
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Lycopodialesrank: order
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Zygophyllalesrank: order
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Rosalesrank: order
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Piperalesrank: order
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Lycopodiopsidarank: class
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Commelinalesrank: order
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Brassicalesrank: order
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Sapindalesrank: order
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Gentianalesrank: order
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Pinalesrank: order
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Ophioglossalesrank: order
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Santalalesrank: order
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Cupressalesrank: order
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Crossosomatalesrank: order
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Tracheophytarank: phylum
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Pinopsidarank: class
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Plantaerank: kingdom
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Alismatalesrank: order
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Selaginellalesrank: order
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Magnoliopsidarank: class
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Fagalesrank: order
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Ranunculalesrank: order
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Gnetopsidarank: class
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Ceratophyllalesrank: order
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Asparagalesrank: order
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Myrtalesrank: order
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Polypodialesrank: order
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Malvalesrank: order
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Nymphaealesrank: order
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Protealesrank: order
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Lilialesrank: order
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Osmundalesrank: order
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Equisetalesrank: order
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Fabalesrank: order
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Saxifragalesrank: order
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Cornalesrank: order
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Isoetalesrank: order
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Oxalidalesrank: order
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Apialesrank: order
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Salvinialesrank: order
Geographic Coverages
Bulgaria, the Balkan peninsula
Bibliographic Citations
Contacts
Salza Palpurinaoriginator
position: Senior Assistant
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: palpurina@nmnhs.com
homepage: https://www.nmnhs.com/palpurina-salza-bg.html
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0416-5622
Salza Palpurina
metadata author
position: Senior Assistant
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: palpurina@nmnhs.com
homepage: https://www.nmnhs.com/palpurina-salza-bg.html
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0416-5622
Salza Palpurina
processor
position: Senior Assistant
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: palpurina@nmnhs.com
homepage: https://www.nmnhs.com/palpurina-salza-bg.html
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0416-5622
Nadejda Apostolova-Stoyanova
curator
position: Assistant
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: apostolova_nadejda@abv.bg
Salza Palpurina
point of contact
position: Senior Assistant
National Museum of National History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: palpurina@nmnhs.com
homepage: https://www.nmnhs.com/palpurina-salza-bg.html
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0416-5622
Salza Palpurina
curator
position: Senior Assistant
National Museum of National History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: palpurina@nmnhs.com
homepage: https://www.nmnhs.com/palpurina-salza-bg.html
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0416-5622
Georgi Kunev
curator
position: Assistant Professor
Sofia University
Sofia
BG
email: gikunev@uni-sofia.bg
Irina Gerasimova
curator
position: Botanist
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: lizards2007@gmail.com
Snezhina Popova
curator
position: Botanist
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
Sofia
1000
BG
email: snejina.b.popova@gmail.com
Salza Palpurina
administrative point of contact
position: Senior Assistant
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
1 Tsar Osvoboditel blvd.
Sofia
1000
BG
email: palpurina@nmnhs.com
homepage: https://www.nmnhs.com/palpurina-salza-bg.html
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0416-5622
Nadeja Apostolova-Stojanova
administrative point of contact
position: Assistant
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
Sofia
1000
BG
email: apostolova_nadejda@abv.bg