Epiphytic corallines are easy to collect, for one only needs to remove the uncalcified host plants. Most epilithic (on rock) corallines are firmly attached to the substratum. Therefore some tools are needed to collect specimens. A heavy sledge hammer, together with a cold chisel are probably the best method of collecting epilithic corallines. The hammer and chisel are used to remove pieces of the rock or coral substrate, together with the coralline crusts attached to it. It is usually a good idea to find a weak point, or the edge of a ledge to facilitate removal for hard rocks such as granite.
Species or specimens are placed in individual bags, usually together with a pre-numbered field label which is linked to such field notes as you wish to include. Under water, notes may be recorded on a plastic slate or plastic paper. For day trips, specimens can be returned to the laboratory for preservation, while for longer trips, 10% commercial formalin in sea water is added to the plastic bag. Bags are then stored in a leakproof covered container for transportation to the laboratory. If travelling by air, you can pour out the formalin to reduce baggage weight, and add paper towels to absorb the excess and prevent leakage. Plastic jars may also be used in the field, but create space problems when travelling by air.
After a minimum of 24 hours, the specimens can be transferred to plastic jars containing a specimen label linked to a herbarium index number for the particular specimen(s). Formalin can be poured off, to be reused once or twice more and replaced with 70% ethanol containing 10% glycerol for storage. Containers in storage should be checked monthly for evaporation and leakage, and topped up as necessary.
Specimens can also be air dried, although considerable detail of delicate structures is likely to be lost by this method. However, routine herbarium collections can be kept this way. Specimens should be air dried in low humidity, and unpreserved specimens should be kept well away from sunlight if they are to retain their colour. Labelling procedures should be used as above.
Each specimen should be given a herbarium record sheet, onto which all field notes are transcribed, with special care taken to record observations of colour, what it is overgrowing, what it is overgrown by, surface texture, thickness, surface physiognomy, and such other information as is available. Herbarium numbers are constructed by year/order of collection (eg. 94/1,94/2,94/3,etc.).
At the University of the Western Cape, once identification is made, the relevant information is entered into a computer data base file using Microsoft Access, and herbarium labels are printed. For preserved material, the label is secured to the outside of the jar by a rubber band or string. When detailed studies are completed, preserved material is oven dried for addition to the herbarium. For air dried material, the label is placed into a 22cm x 35cm plastic bag containing the specimen.
Derek Keats,
updated 03/09/01