Guglielmone, L.

Isocrono, D.

Pandolfo, Guglielmo

English

Institutional Research Information System University of Turin

NON VASCULAR CRYPTOGAMIC COLLECTIONS FROM HERBARIUM UNIVERSITATIS TAURINENSIS (TO) 135“COSE DI SCIENZA” Le collezioni museali: tutela, ricerca ed educazioneTorino, Sistema Museale di Ateneo, 11-13 novembre 2015a cura di Giancarla Malerba, Cristina Cilli, Giacomo GiacobiniMUSEOLOGIA SCIENTIFICA MEMORIE • N. 17/2017 • 135-139Non vascular cryptogamic collections fromHerbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO):making the most to promote their utilization Deborah IsocronoDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie Forestali e Alimentari, Università degli Studi di Torino, largo P. Braccini, 2. I-10095 Grugliasco (TO). E-mail: deborah.isocrono@unito.itLaura GuglielmoneGuglielmo PandolfoDipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università degli Studi di Torino, viale Mattioli, 25. I-10125 Torino. E-mail: laura.guglielmone@unito.itISSN 1972-6848ABSTRACTThe Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO) contains over 130.000 scientifically and historically significantcryptogamic specimens, including type specimens. This paper presents the first results of a project aimed at thediscovery, description and enhancement of non vascular plant collections hosted in Turin Herbarium.Key words: cryptogams, herbarium, Historical collections.RIASSUNTOCrittogame non vascolari nell’Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO): valorizzazione come base per un futu-ro utilizzoL’Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO) contiene oltre 130.000 campioni, ad oggi scarsamente indagati, rife-ribili a crittogame non vascolari. Il presente lavoro illustra i primi risultati di un progetto volto al censimento,descrizione e valorizzazione delle collezioni crittogamiche della sede Torinese.Parole chiave: crittogame, erbario TO, collezioni storiche.Herbaria are the repositories of preserved plants,enabling species to be studied and their distribution inspace and time to be documented and analysed. Theyare essential parts of a research institute specialized intaxonomic botany and have potential to serve as datasources for biodiversity and conservation.Historically, herbaria with vascular plants have beenmost extensively studied than ones with non-vascularplants and this is particularly true for the Turin’scollections.The “Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO)”includes, in addition to well-known collections ofspermatophytes (Forneris, 2004) many materialsrelated to non-vascular plants. These materials, withfew exceptions, have never been studied yet.In 1891 Giuseppe Gibelli, who was Director of theBotanical Garden in Turin, undertook a great work ofreorganization: most of the non-vascular cryptogamswere merged into 5 big herbaria (Musci, Hepaticae,Algae, Fungi open to additions and Lichens not open).In these herbaria all specimens, coming from manydifferent herbaria, were sorted according tosystematic and alphabetical criteria. This task,conducted in a period where no technical aids fordatabasing existed, on the one hand certainlyfacilitated the consultation and comparison ofsamples, on the other hand completely destroyed theunity of the individual collections, making verycomplex even their detection. Moreover most of thecryptogamic samples are no longer associated to acatalogue, therefore, at present, data on theabundance, origin and geographical location of theexsiccata are not easily available. The lichenherbarium, unlike the other four, includes all materialsacquired by the Botanical Garden since the secondhalf of the Eighteenth century until 1950. The newlyacquired lichen materials are preserved in foldedenvelopes according to the widely adoptedmanagement practices (e.g. Obermayer, 2002) andstored separately. This current section is regularlyupdated, contains more than 4000 specimens and isthe only one for which a complete computerizedcatalogue is available (Isocrono et al., 2004).Other cryptogamic materials can be found in closed2.29_Isocrono, Guglielmone, Pandolfo pag 135-139_RIVISTA ANMS DEF  27/09/17  15.43  Pagina 135DEBORAH ISOCRONO - LAURA GUGLIELMONE - GUGLIELMO PANDOLFO136Tab. 1. Non vascular cryptogams in TO * = includes onlynon-vascular specimens , n = number of samples, A = algae ,F= fungi = L = lichenized fungi , B = bryophytes.collections of particular works or celebrated authors,mainly formed by vascular plants, which are keptseparated for their great historical and scientific value.In order to give value to this huge patrimony ofexsiccata, and to improve their usability, in 2012 aproject was undertaken for the census and cataloguingof collections and the digitisation of herbariummaterial by capturing both data and images andstoring them in digital form.METHODSPreliminary activities were performed for preparingand organizing the cryptogamic materials. First stepwas to verify the presence of non-vascular plants inthe “closed collections” (i.e. nothing may be added tothem or taken away) hosted in TO.As far as the 5 big cryptogamic herbaria, since nocertain information about the numerical amount ofthese collections exists, the number of exsiccata ineach sheet was manually counted. The labelsassociated with each samples have been analyzed inorder to detect the collector and when possible, thecollection itself. Several specimens show thecollection name (in print or manuscript) on theirlabels, enabling an easy identification of thecollection. In many other cases the name on the labelswas not explicit: the way of preparing samples, thetype of archival paper, the recognition of the writingof the authors were taken into account to fit thespecimen in a given collection.The comparison of the handwritings has been donethrough an atlas, prepared by the Herbarium staff onthe basis of the handwritings on phanerogamicspecimens, through the consultation of somespecialized texts (Cuccuini & Nepi, 1999; Forneris,2004) and a collection of photographs of historicalexsiccata (Isocrono - private collection).Since the original nuclei were dismembered and thesamples merged together in taxonomic sections, twolevels of identification have been carried out :• recognition of groups of samples attributable to aspecific botanist (named here nuclei);• reconstruction, when possible, of how these nucleihave reached the Turin Herbarium.Herbaria Type Number* Algae herbarium A 10527* Bryophyte herbarium B 30741* Fungi herbarium F 35000* Historical Lichens herbarium L 29804* Lichens - Current collection L 4932Lorenzo Terraneo  (1676 -1714) AFLB 35Carlo Allioni (1728-1804) AB 15* sir John Hill (1764) ABL 97Ludovico Bellardi (1741-1826) ABL 142G. Giacinto Moris - Flora Sardoa (1796-1869)ABL 615* Muscologia (?1800) B 307* Erbario Crittogamico Ossolano G. Rondolini (1818) LB 20A. Maurizio Zumaglini e G. Bruno herbaria (1804-1865)AFLB 214* Sextus Otto Lindberg bryophyte herbarium 1835-1889B 242* Beniamino Peyronel Erbario micologico fitopatologico 1890-1975F 220* Lichenes selecti Germaniae mediae Dr. Robert Schmidt 1882L 54* Oreste Mattirolo, erbario micologico(1856-1947)  F 20000S.A.R. Luigi Amedeo di Savoia Duca degli Abruzzi Stellae Polaris (1899-1900),Plantae Ruwenzorenses (1906), Sorgenti del Uebi Scebeli (1928-1929)AFLB 242Piante acquatiche e palustri del Piemonte by Ferrari 1909AB 23Herbarium Alpium occidentalium (1919-2000)AFLB 19Fig. 1. Lobaria polmonaria (L.) Hoffm. Sheet from Lorenzo Terraneo (1677-1714) herbarium.2.29_Isocrono, Guglielmone, Pandolfo pag 135-139_RIVISTA ANMS DEF  27/09/17  15.43  Pagina 136NON VASCULAR CRYPTOGAMIC COLLECTIONS FROM HERBARIUM UNIVERSITATIS TAURINENSIS (TO) 137herbarium (fig. 1) dates back to the end of XVIIcentury and it is the oldest collection in theUniversity of Torino. Specimens are mounted in sixbound volumes. It comprises 35 moss, lichen, fungiand algae specimens (out of 1035) not previouslymentioned in papers deal with this herbarium(Mattirolo, 1912; Montacchini et al., 1994; Forneris2004).Among the closed collections it’s worth nothing a wellpreserved herbarium of 97 British cryptogams, whichdates from the first half of the 18th century that canbe ascribed to Sir John Hill (1716 - 1775) a pioneer ofbotany in England (Isocrono et al., 2012).Of particular note is the herbarium of GiacomoGiacinto Moris, a young student of first Balbis andlater Capelli in Turin. His contribution, in the firsthalf of the XIX century, was fundamental to theknowledge of Sardinian flora (Arrigoni, 2006). Sixhundred and fifteen specimens of algae, mosses andlichens have been found in his herbarium. Moreoverother Moris’s specimens occur in the 4 big historicalRESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe “Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO)” is anherbarium formed on a strong tradition of floristicresearch in Italy and the work of prominentpersonalities involved in Botany in Europe. Besidesabout 800.000 specimens of vascular plants, itcontains many non vascular plants specimens for themost part remained unknown, because previous workhas focused on phanerogams (see Forneris, 2004 fordetails).More than 130.000 non vascular cryptogamicexsiccata have been found in TO Herbarium (tab. 1).Most of items date back to the 19th century and to thesecond half of the previous century. Cryptogamsoccur, obviously, in the five main non-vascular plantsherbaria and in several other closed herbaria.Non vascular plants in the TO herbarium:closed collectionsThe closed collections in TO contain over 22.200specimens as a whole. The Lorenzo Terraneo’sFig. 2. Sheet from Algae herbarium. Exsiccatum from Sweden in Rabenhorts Algen Europa’s collection.2.29_Isocrono, Guglielmone, Pandolfo pag 135-139_RIVISTA ANMS DEF  27/09/17  15.43  Pagina 137DEBORAH ISOCRONO - LAURA GUGLIELMONE - GUGLIELMO PANDOLFO138herbaria, they have been recognized mainly on thebasis of the handwriting on the labels.Non vascular plants in the TO herbarium:cryptogamic herbariaThe Algae herbarium (fig. 2) contains approximately10.000 specimens of freshwater, marine, andterrestrial algae from all of the main divisions. Over50 nuclei have been recognized. The herbariumincludes micro- and macroalgae, most mounted onherbarium sheets or in packets. Some specimens,mainly assembled in 1800, also includes a set ofpermanent slides. It contains scientifically andhistorically significant material such as: Wittrock V.B., Nordstedt O. Algae aquae dulcis exsiccatae, PicconeFlorula algologica della Sardegna (330 specimenscollected in Sardinia around 1878, included inPatrizio Gennari’s herbarium), Hauck et Richter,Phykotheka universalis (800 specimens from 1886 to1894collected worldwide).At present, the Fungi herbarium housed in TO is theless investigated. It comprises approximately 30.000samples (estimated datum). The Herbarium hosts alsothe dried collections of O. Mattirolo and A. Cerruti.These collections, of extraordinary museum interest,are a fundamental reference for mycologists as theycontain numerous type specimens of hypogeousfungi, often complete with the original micrographs.The lichen collection numbers around 30.000samples. More than 50 nuclei have been recognized.It comprises original collections that attest theactivity of some scientists in the “golden period” ofthe Italian Lichenology (e.g. Anzi, Baglietto, Carestia,De Notaris) as well as many important Europeanherbaria (e.g. Philipp Hepp Die Flechten Europas, G.W. Koerber Lichenes selecti Germanici, Leighton Lichenesbritannici exsiccati, the Rabenhorst’s collections).The bryological herbaria comprises hornworts,liverworts and mosses and it is, at present, the onlyone for which published data exist. It contains over30,700 specimens including some interesting materialconcerning “types” and documentation of extraEuropean expeditions (Pistarino & Forneris, 2008).Interesting also the contribution to the localFig. 3. Examples from Micheletti cryptogamic collections.2.29_Isocrono, Guglielmone, Pandolfo pag 135-139_RIVISTA ANMS DEF  27/09/17  15.43  Pagina 138NON VASCULAR CRYPTOGAMIC COLLECTIONS FROM HERBARIUM UNIVERSITATIS TAURINENSIS (TO) 139knowledge: many specimens as those of Balbis, Lisa(180 specimens collected around Turin) and Carestia(950 mosses from Pennine Alps) are valuable data fortime comparisons regarding North Italy flora.In all the cryptogamic herbaria we identified over100.000 specimens and more than 80 nuclei (asdefined in Methods section) many of these notpreviously recognized as being part of our herbarium.The specimens, on the whole, have a global coverage.Italy is particularly well represented, with a timelineof specimen data going back over 250 years. Theherbaria of Martino Anzi (1812-1883) and those ofAntonio Carestia (1825-1898), both personalcollections and specimens received as gifts, can beconsidered as the core of non-vascular herbaria inTO. As for the other Italian collections, veryimportant are the nuclei of Giovanni Battista Balbis(1765-1831), a pupil of the famous Piedmontesebotanist Carlo Allioni (1728-1804) that comprisesover 3000 specimens (1125 bryophytes, 1083 fungi,502 algae, 983 lichens) and the Erbario CrittogamicoItaliano (1858-1885) the most important collection ofItalian cryptogams.The nucleus referred to Luigi Micheletti (1844-1912)is also significant for the Italian flora. He was an ArmyCaptain from Lombardy, who was in correspondencewith renowned botanists (many revised specimensand letters found attached to sheets). His herbarium(fig. 3), which also includes phanerogams, preservesspecimens from 15 out to 20 Italian regions.CONCLUSIONThis work sheds light on the true extent of the nonvascular plant collections in TO, collecting data ontheir consistency and history and will serve as a basisfor future actions for the enhancement of thisheritage. The collected data, incomplete though itmay be, will be of interest to botanist engaged intaxonomic and nomenclatural research. Thedigitisation process, currently underway, will allow forour collections to be queried and analysed in ways notpreviously possible, and enables access by ‘virtualvisitors’ unable to visit the collections in person.During this first analyses several “typus” samples havebeen discovered. This types is a priceless treasure thatshould be enhanced in the next future: at present lessthan 5% of the typical material hosted in TO hasbeen listed or revised.The collections also hold a great historical value, asthey reflect devoted interest in botany and local plantknowledge of earlier Italian botanist and theirrelationships with the most important Europeanbotanist in the XIX century. The oldest cryptogamicexsiccata refer to botanist that work in Piedmont orbotanist that have been part of the Botanical Garden(e.g. Allioni, Balbis, Bellardi, Colla, Moris). Theywere included in vascular plants herbaria, andsometimes they lack identification at specific levels orrelevant geographical information. Their interest ismainly historical and documentary, although samples(such as those relating to the hill of the city of Turin),being permanent record of botanical diversity, mayprovide interesting data on the presence of speciesnow extinct or endangered. This role of old samples isincreasingly important as the rate of habitatdestruction increases and anthropic factors can causerapid changes in species’ ranges.REFERENCESARRIGONI P.V., 2006. The discovery of the SardinianFlora (XVIII-XIX Centuries). Bocconea, 19: 7-31.CUCCUINI P., NEPI C., 1999. Herbarium Centrale Italicum(the phanerogamic section): the genesis and structure of aherbarium. Ed. Museo di Storia Naturale, Firenze, 466 pp.FORNERIS G., 2004. L’erbario dell’Università di Torino.Pagine di storia e di iconografia nelle collezioni botaniche. AlmaUniversitas Taurinensis, Torino, 377 pp.ISOCRONO D., MATTEUCCI E., PIERVITTORI R. 2004. Lasezione attuale delle collezioni lichenologichedell’Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis. Notiziario dellaSocietà Lichenologica Italiana, 17: 72-73.ISOCRONO D., ELLIS L.,· THÜS H., · WOLSELEY P.,2012. Notes on an early 18th Century collection ofBritish cryptogams in the Torino Herbarium (TO).Notiziario della Società Lichenologica Italiana, 25: 53.MATTIROLO O., 1912. Lorenzo Terraneo (1676 -1714) e l’importanza dell’opera sua nella storia bo ta -nica del Piemonte. Bollettino della Società Botanica Italiana:232-243.MONTACCHINI F., FORNERIS G., PISTARINO A., 1994. Ilcontributo di Lorenzo Terraneo (1676?–1714) allaconoscenza della flora Piemontese. Giornale BotanicoItaliano, 128: 380.OBERMAYER W., 2002. Management of a lichen Herbarium.In: Kranner I., Beckett R., Varma A. (eds), Protocols inLichenology: Culturing, Biochemistry, Ecophysiologyand Use in Biomonitoring. Springer Science &Business Media, Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 507-523.PISTARINO A., FORNERIS G., 2008. Le raccoltebriologiche dell’Università di Torino: prime indaginisui contenuti. In Cilli C., Malerba G., Giacobini G.(eds), Il Patrimonio della scienza. Le collezioni di in -te resse storico. Museologia Scientifica Memorie, 2: 108-112.2.29_Isocrono, Guglielmone, Pandolfo pag 135-139_RIVISTA ANMS DEF  27/09/17  15.43  Pagina 139

Non vascular cryptogamic collections from Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO): making the most to promote their utilization.

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Non vascular cryptogamic collections from Herbarium Universitatis Taurinensis (TO): making the most to promote their utilization.

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