Kermadec tree nettle (Pouzolzia australis), one of the plants the team hope to rediscover on Macauley Island.
So what does a botanist need for collecting specimens? Peter reports he’s been ‘sourcing large snap-lock bags, folding millions of paper packets for collecting mosses, liverworts and lichens into, and I have purchased a set of rock chisels to prise crustose lichens off rocks’.
The weather will be warm and humid, so for vascular plants (what most of us consider plants, that is things with leaves) Peter has concocted what he calls an ‘evil brew’ – 1 part vinegar to 1 part methylated spirits. This preserves plant tissues from rotting, and has the added bonus of killing potentially harmful bugs or diseases. Back in the lab, at his leisure, he will dry and transfer all the plants to a traditional plant press, which sandwiches the plants flat between layers of paper and card.
Peter also has quite a wish list of specific plants from other botanists, who need specimens collected in several different ways (but not in the evil brew). He has supplies of silica gel for storing plants to be used for genetic analysis, and formalin for preserving large seaweeds – macro-algae – from the intertidal zone.
Phew. No wonder he described his packing task as mammoth – he wasn’t kidding! We all look forward to seeing what treasures our two land lubbers turn up in their travels ashore, and it certainly seems like they are ready for any contingency. Tomorrow morning we are on the good ship Braveheart – will let you know what my new home is like!
