Natural History Museum

A year round phytosociological study was carried out in 2012 to study different forest types in Pashupati Sacred Grove in Kathmandu Valley. Concentric circular plots (n-19) were laid down along eight parallel transects, 100 m apart from each other, traversing north and south passing through various vegetations. Our results showed that the grove had experienced change in forest types over the time period. Three forest types namely Schima-Pyrus, Moist (Myrsine- Persea) and Mixed (Quercus-Myrsine) were identified based on the importance value Index (IVI) of tree species instead of Myrsine-Schima forest which had once dominated the grove. Tree density greatly changed in different forest types and showed strong correlation between canopy cover and tree density, supporting the results of previous studies. J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 27, 2013: 72-77

Wetlands support exceptionally high biodiversity and provide valuable ecosystem services, yet they are among the most threatened habitats due to anthropogenic activities. Conservation and management planning of wetlands requires, among others, a comprehensive floristic account. In this study, we prepared a checklist of the flowering plants found in the wetlands of the Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley (LCPV), a Ramsar site of Nepal, located in a rapidly urbanizing capital city of Gandaki Province in Central Nepal. Voucher specimens were collected from the study sites through multiple visits during the monsoon (June-August) and autumn (September-November) seasons. Species were categorized based on their life forms (Raunkiaer’s classification) and native distribution range (native, naturalized, invasive). Ethno-botanical uses of the plant species were compiled from the published literature. We identified 230 plant species belonging to 70 families and 177 genera. Asteraceae (25 species), ...

Forests are the integral to the global carbon cycle. These ecosystems sequester carbon in the plant biomass and in the soil. The study was carried out in Linga Guthi Community Forest of Bhaktapur to estimate carbon Stock and radial growth of Pinus roxburghii through tree ring analysis. A total of 32 circular plots of 250 m2 area were laid down randomly. Subplots were made for study of saplings, Litter, herbs and soil. For tree ring analysis, tree core samples were collected from different blocks of forest. Ring widths were measured using TSAP-Win Software attached to a LINTAB measuring system. For tree ring analysis, COFECHA and ARSTAN program were used. The average carbon stock of Linga Guthi Community Forest was 272.22±17.36 t/ha. Similarly, it has storage of 206.87± 4.47 t/ha AGTC, 41.37±2.19 t/ha BGTC, 23.814±1.00 t/ha SOC. The carbon sequestration rate of the forest was 2.22 Ct/ha/year. The average radial growth of pine trees in the forest was found to be 2.06 ± 0.13 mm/year. T...

During the chemotaxonomic study of 16 species of Stemonoporus, three flavonoid aglycones (flavonol quercetin, flavonol kaempferol and flavone apigenin) and glycosides (quercetin 3-glucoside, quercetin 3-rutinoside and apigenin 5-glucoside) were isolated while flavonol myricetin, flavone luteolin and proanthocynidins were not detected in any of the species surveyed. The isolated flavonoids can be used as chemotaxonomic markers. The species of Stemonoporus can be regarded as advanced in flavonoid pattern because of the absence of myricetin and loss of proanthocyanidins. The data of the flavonoid patterns and the outcome of cluster analysis are taxonomically useful to resolve the controversies over the systematic arrangement of the species and suggest the need for a revision of classification of the genus Stemonoporus.

Asparagus racemosus Willd. is an important medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical regions of Nepal and India. Its medicinal usage has been reported in the Indian and British Pharmacopoeias and in traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. Asparagus curillus Buch-Ham.ex Roxb. is also one of the species found in higher altitude of Nepal. Its roots are used as substitute for A. racemosus. Phytochemical investigation was done for these two species of Nepalese Asparagus as per Methodology for Analysis of Vegetable Drugs by I. Ciulei.1982. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of coumarin, flavonoid, catecholic tannin, reducing compound in alcoholic extract of A. racemosus while its aqueous extract revealed polyuronoid, reducing compound, polyoses, saponin, gallic tannin, catecholic tannin, etc. Similarly, alcoholic extract of A. curillus revealed catecholic tannin, reducing compound and aqueous extract revealed polyuronoid polyoses, saponin, gallic ...

This is the first exploration of bryophytes in Panch Pokhari of Sindhupalchok district of central Nepal vertically ranged from 850 to 4300 m asl. Of the total record of 151 species, 60 species were categorized as rare in status and two species Jamesoniella automnalis (D.C.) Steph. and Campylopus rechardii Brid were recorded as threatened species. J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 27, 2013: 45-58

Understanding people’s knowledge and their dependency on wetland forms the basis of conserving them. The paper assessed the status of wetland in Rampur and local peoples’ dependency on it, conducted in the year of 2013. Study revealed that majority of respondents noticed change in wetland in past years and in their priority, drying ranked first followed by decrease in acreage, and biodiversity loss. It was found that factors responsible for these changes were drought, encroachment, flooding, erosion and succession by invasive weed species. Study found that local peoples have several impacts on wetland which were conversion for agriculture, discharge of pollutants, overexploitation of aquatic resources, overgrazing conversion for residential development, and conversion for aquaculture. However, Negative impacts of wetland were flooding, foul smell, incidence of insect pest/disease, coldness in winter, and bank cutting. It was found that people dependent on wetland for farming, fodder...

Livestock farming in Nepal have a common feature of temporary shelter called goth. In recent years, young people in the villages go for foreign jobs and there is severe lack of labour force and the Gothpractice has gradually been abandoned. In the abandoned got fallows, plant succession is observed. In Panchase, abandoned fallows of one year, two years, five years, 15 years were sampled. The sampling included species-wise count of plants and their coverage. Density, frequency and coverage were determined to obtain species diversity. Soil samples were taken from each of the fallow studied. It was found that the species diversity increased with the age of the fallow land, while beta diversity decreased with the successive fallow age. Soil samples were analyzed for pH value, organic matter, water holding capacity, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium value. Aluminum and phosphorus were the determinants in succession of herbs by shrubs and then by tree species to climax.

Asparagus racemosus Willd. is an important medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical regions of Nepal and India. Its medicinal usage has been reported in the Indian and British Pharmacopoeias and in traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. Asparagus curillus Buch-Ham.ex Roxb. is also one of the species found in higher altitude of Nepal. Its roots are used as substitute for A. racemosus. Phytochemical investigation was done for these two species of Nepalese Asparagus as per Methodology for Analysis of Vegetable Drugs by I. Ciulei.1982. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of coumarin, flavonoid, catecholic tannin, reducing compound in alcoholic extract of A. racemosus while its aqueous extract revealed polyuronoid, reducing compound, polyoses, saponin, gallic tannin, catecholic tannin, etc. Similarly, alcoholic extract of A. curillus revealed catecholic tannin, reducing compound and aqueous extract revealed polyuronoid polyoses, saponin, gallic ...

Artificial seed technology is a rapidly growing area of research in plant cell and tissue culture. Application of this technology opens an alternative route for mass scale production, efficient delivery of cloned plantlets and fulfils the increasing demand of local growers. An attempt was made to produce artificial seeds and their subsequent regeneration of a highly valuable medicinal orchid of Nepal i.e. Cymbidium aloifolium. Artificial seeds were obtained through encapsulation of protocorms in calcium alginate beads. Protocorms were encapsulated by using 3% sodium alginate and 0.2 M calcium chloride solution. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium (1962) was used as the basal medium for in vitro germination and seedling development of artificial seed. In Cymbidium aloifolium, 20-25 days old in vitro grown protocorms were used for production of artificial seeds. Artificial seeds were inoculated on two different culture conditions of MS medium i.e. MS solid & MS liquid with four different ...

Study on butterfly diversity at Churiya range of eastern Nepal in winter and spring was conducted during December 1999 to May 2000. Collection sites ranged from < 250 to >1150 m in altitude where a total of 40 species of butterflies belonging to 28 genera and eight families were recorded. Both of seasonal and altitudinal effects on the abundance of butterflies were noticed in the area. Species richness increased with upcoming warmer spring days at low and midland areas while decreased in higher elevations.Key words: Altitudinal; diversity; seasonal; abundance; species richnessJournal of Natural History Museum Vol. 23, 2008 Page 82-87

In the present study five Eimeria species viz. Eimeria tenella, E. acervulina, E. necatrix, E. maxima and E. brunetti responsible for coccidiosis are reported and its general prevalence was found to be 24 percent. Among the five Eimeria species, prevalence of E. tenella was recorded to be the highest (25%), followed by E. acervulina (15%), E. necatrix (10%). E. maxima (7%) and E. brunetti (3%). Altogether 400 stool samples (dropping) were collected by random sampling methods from four poultry farms. These samples were preserved in preservative solution (2% potassium dichromate solution). Stool samples were examined by thin feacal smear methods. There were altogether 96 cases of coccidiosis of which 25% were caecal, 35% intestinal and 40% mixed. Prevalence of coccidiosis was recorded in all the 12 months and four seasons of the study period. The highest (38%) prevalence rate was found in the month of July and the lowest (5.71%) in the month of October. The difference in monthly preva...

A detailed study made on the collection of molluscs from 33 different study sites of Jhapa District revealed the presence of 17 species of freshwater and 4 species of land mollusc. Key words: Mollusc; land; freshwater; Jhapa J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol.22, 2005 p.22-27

This paper identifies and documents the plant biodiversity of western Chitwan, Nepal. Specifically, our attention was focussed on the plants of forests, grasslands and common lands based on our "Reciprocal Relation of Population and Environment Study Project" conducted during January-April 1996. This species-diversity of trees, shrubs and herbaceous flora was recorded from 117, 117, and 1049 sampling quadrats of 10×10, 3×3 and 1×1 m(2), respectively. The flora of our study plots contains 236 species that belong to 191 genera and 66 families. Of 236 species of plants, 119, 113, 59, 35 and 119 species were recorded from Tikauli forest, National Park forest, forests along the Narayani river, grasslands of National Park and common lands of the western Chitwan, respectively. Dicotyledons represent 184 (77.97%) species of the total flora species followed by monocotyledons (46 spp., 19.49%) and ferns (6 spp., 2.54%), respectively. The five largest families are Leguminosae (38 spp...

Sindhupalchok is one of the largest districts of central Nepal with area occupancy of about 2542 km². The northern side of this district exhibits complex physical feature where this study was carried out within the elevation of 850m to 4300m. The changing elevation gradients along mountain habitats act to control the distribution of butterflies at its ascending range. This study made on different periods in 2009 and 2012 brought a list of 114 species of butterflies from three different destinations of the northern side that included areas like Melamchi, Timbu (central-northern), Helambu (northern) Nakote (north-western) Panch Pokhari and adjoining region (north-eastern). The diversity of butterflies declined gradually above 3500m towards Panch Pokhari whereas species richness was noticed high at 900-2700 m from Melamchi to Helambu route including Nakote, Shermathan and Tarkyghyang. Ecotourism promotional activity can also be linked to the butterfly watch that includes rare and attra...

Saneyoshi, M., Tsubamoto, T., Watabe, M., and Tsogtbaatar, Kh., 2010. Lithostratigrapic and sedimentological analysis of the upper Eocene Ergilin Dzo Formation of Ergilin Dzo locality, Mongolia. Hayashibara Mus. Nat. Sci. Res. Bull. 3: 149– 153.

Sahar (Tor putitora) formed a substantial natural fishery in the major riverine and lacustrine ecosystem of Nepal. Biological diversity of this species is being threatened by various anthropogenic activities. In view of the conservational value and the aquaculture potential of T. putitora, significant development in artificial propagation of this species has been achieved. The successful hatchery production of T. putitora brought to the forefront problematic questions regarding genetic variation of the hatchery stocks. A study was, therefore, conducted to determine the genetic variability within and between hatchery stocks and their wild counterparts of T. putitora using allozyme markers.Analyses of seven enzyme systems resuled in 11 loci being resolved from lake population and two consecutive generations of hatchery populations of T. putitora. Based on five polymorphic loci, all populations had percentage polymorphic loci 45.45. Significant reduction (P<0.01) in number of allele...

The population distribution and diurnal behavior of Assamese monkey Macaca assamensis were studied in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal and data collected during Dec. 2011 to March 12 by scan sampling methods along with application of ArcGIS software. Seven bisexual troops were observed in subtropical/lower temperate forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park and its marginal areas near to human settlement. The observed smallest troop was with 12 individuals while the largest troop had 35 individuals of different age. The average troop size is 23.71 with standard deviation 9.22. Out of three broad age groups adults were 40.27%, immature 42.95% and infants were 14.09 %. The sex ratio between male and female was 1:1.03.A troop was selected as focal troop for behavioral study after habituation. Foraging/eating covered 46% of total observed time while resting 19%, locomotion 16%, sleeping 12%, grooming 6%, and playing 1%. Some other behavior noticed such as aggression, copulation,...

Panchase Protected Forest (PPF), situated at the junction of three districts Kaski, Syangja and Parbat with an elevation range of 900-2517m representing mid hills of Nepal. This study was carried out with an aim of documenting the flowering plant diversity of the Panchase Protected Forest, Kaski district, comprising three VDCs, Bhadaure Tamage, Chapakot and Pumdi Bhumdi. General survey, covering all seasons was organized (from June 2014 to May 2015) for collecting the plant species. Published literatures and herbarium specimens were also consulted for documenting the species. Identification of the collected specimens was made through consulting relevant literatures, herbarium specimens and expert consultation. A total of 613 species belonging to 393 genera and 111 families have been documented from this area. The dominant family was Orchidaceae (49 genera and 125 species) followed by Poaceae (25 spp.), Asteraceae (25 spp.) and others. Six endemic plants, Begonia flagellaris (Begonia...

The water footprint is consumption-based indicator of water use. Water footprint is defined as the total volume of both indirect and the direct freshwater used for producing goods and services consumed by individuals or inhabitants of community. There are many studies regarding the direct water use but studies incorporating both direct and indirect water use is deficient. This study tries to estimate total volume of water based on the consumption pattern of different commodities by individuals of Kathmandu Metropolitan city using extended water footprint calculator. The average water footprint of individuals appears to be 1145.52 m3/yr. The indirect and direct water footprint appears to be 1070.82 Mm3/yr and 46.59 Mm3/yr respectively which cumulatively give the total water footprint of Kathmandu Metropolitan City of 1117.40 Mm3/yr. This volume is equal to 2.27 times the annual fl ow the River Bagmati. The indirect water footprint includes food water footprint of 1055.60 Mm3/yr or 2....

A survey was conducted to explore the aphid pests’ diversity in Kanchanpur district, far-western, Nepal from April 2018 to March 2019. A total of 15 aphid pests were collected and identified, viz. Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Aphis craccivora (Koch), Aphis gossypii (Glover), Aphis fabae (Scopoli), Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe, Brevicoryne brassicae (Linnaeus), Lipaphis erysmi (Kaltenbach), Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), Macrosiphum rosae (Linnaeus), Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus), Rhopalosiphum rufiadominale (Sasaki), Uroleucon compositae (Theobald), and the guava aphid. Exploration of aphid pests showed that they caused serious damages to agricultural crops by attacking different parts of plants.

This study was designed specifically to assess the population status and prevailing threats of Phaedyma aspasia kathmandia an endangered and endemic subspecies of butterfly confined to a very narrow range at 1600–1800 m of elevation in Godavari forest of Lalitpur district of central Nepal. This study revealed the occurrence of only 11 individuals of this species during the study period on July, 2011 and May to July, 2012.The underlying threat to this butterfly is the establishment of the marble quarry around its habitat area. Habitat shrinkage of this butterfly has been noticed due to construction of road at the expense of pristine forest of this part. J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 27, 2013: 87-91

Non-timber forest products are non-wooded biological resources derived from both natural and managed forests and other wooded areas. The objective of the study was to perform resource assessment for baseline information on the status and distribution of locally prioritized plant based non-timber forest products in Nuwakot and Sindhupalchok districts of Langtang National Park’s buffer zones. Consultative workshops and forest inventory techniques were applied to collect data. From the consultative workshops 133 species of plants having use value were identifi ed. It was identifi ed that Gaultheria fragrantissima and Edgeworthia gardneri were more potential species for commercial production and utilization. For commercial production and collection of Gaultheria fragrantissima, buffer zone areas of Nuwakot district will be the better place. Similarly, the commercial production and collection of Edgeworthia gardneri will be better in buffer zone areas of Sindhupalchok district.J. Nat. Hi...

In various countries the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a known vector of dengue and chikungunya viruses and other pathogens, but its ecology and role in disease transmission in Nepal has not been studied yet. Here, we report on an investigation of the seasonal distribution of potential artificial breeding habitats of A. albopictus in urban areas of the Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts of Nepal. Larval collections were performed from April 2009 to March 2010 simultaneously in all the wet containers present in and around the houses of the study areas. Altogether 1873 water containers in Kathmandu district and 1807 in Lalitpur district were searched in 12 months, out of which 107 (5.7%) and 129 (7.1%), respectively, were found positive for A. albopictus breeding. Within the urban agglomeration of both districts, the breeding was found to vary between localities. Immature stages of A. albopictus were recorded in pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons as 1.9%, 6.7% an...

Teinopalpus imperialis an endangered swallowtail butterfly of high conservation value is encompassed into the Appendix II of CITES (Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species). This butterfly prefers its habitat at the altitudinal range of 2180 - 3000 m and emerges out for a brief period in summer months of May till July first week annually. This target species dwells in the broad leaved evergreen and mixed forest of Oaks (Quercus spp.). This specific work made an extensive study of Teinopalpus imperialis with respect to its population status, associated habitats and prevailing threats in Phulchoki Mountain (Lalitpur District), Nagarjun –Shivapuri National Park (Kathmandu District) and Nagarkot Mountain (Bhaktapur District). This revealed out the occurrence of 21 individual populations of this butterflyin the Phulchoki Mountain and 8 individuals in the Nagarjun forest. Nagarkot of Bhaktapur district did not represent any of this species due to prevailing high impact on ...

An assessment of phyto-ecology and socio-economy of wetlands of Mahakali River system of far-western Nepal was carried through rapid ecological assessments, participatory discussions, transects and quadrat studies, and laboratory analyses to reveal the interactions between physico-chemical characteristics of water and soil, biodiversity and socio-economic regimes. Mahakali river system was flanked by a number of tributaries, steep cliffs, rocks, and was closely associated with riverine and mixed Shorea robusta (Sal) forests, resulting in richness and diversity of habitats and plant species. Vegetation succession was found to conspicuous as transcends farther from river edge, the Phragmites karka was gradually succeeded by Saccharum spontaneum and riverine forest species such as Acacia catechu, Dalbergia sissoo, Bombax ceiba, Eugenia jambolina, Aegle marmelos, etc. A total 140 plant species including 78 ethnomedicinal were inventoried, representing about 27 percent of the district fl...

Ostrich and Emu farming have been lunched with a very new concept to Nepalese market for their product in which parasitic diseases may cause significant effect to their production. In order to determine prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of Emu, a total of 100faecalsamples were collected during the month of May/July 2015. All samples were microscopically examined by using direct smear and concentration techniques (floatation and sedimentation).Out of 100 faecal samples, 65% were found positive for gastrointestinal parasites. Overall, seven different species of gastrointestinal parasites including two protozoan, three nematodes and two cestodes were recorded. Amongprotozoan parasites, Eimeria sp. (30%) was more prevalent compared to Entamoeba sp.(10%). Among helminthes parasites, Ascaris sp. (15%)showed the higher prevalence rate followed by Dromaestrogylus sp. (10%), Davainea sp.(9%), Raillietina sp. (5%) and Heterakis sp. (5%). This study suggested that parasitic infection co...

A total of 22 faecal samples of Red panda were collected in the month of May/June 2011 and 21 faecal samples from the same site during the month of May/June 2012. All the samples were microscopically examined by faecal floatation and sedimentation techniques. Out of 43 faecal samples, 40 samples (93.02%) were found positive for gastro-intestinal parasites. Altogether, 12 different species of gastro-intestinal parasites were recovered from Red panda. Among them, two species of protozoan parasites and 10 species of helminthes were observed. In protozoan parasites, Eimeria (67.44%) was more prevalent as compared to Entamoeba (62.79%). Among helminthes, Oxyuris sp. showed the highest prevalence rate followed by Toxoascaris sp. (48.84%), Hookworm (44.19%), Baylisascaris sp., Crenosoma sp. (34.88%), Strongyloides sp., Moniezia sp. (18.60%), Trichuris sp., etastrongylus sp. (4.65%) and Angiostrongylus sp. (2.33%). Only one species of cestoda i.e. Moniezia sp. was found but trematodes and a...

Polymelia is a congenital anomaly (birth defect condition) which is associated with extra limbs or supernumerary limbs in human and animals. Congenital anomalies are associated with genetic factors (transgenes, chromosomes), environmental agents (infection, toxins, teratogens, fertilization techniques, management) or a combination of factors (Keeler et al., 1981; Newman et al., 1999). In supernumerary ectopic limb (SEC) anomaly, accessory limbs are attached to the various body regions (Fourie, 1990; Hiraga et al., 1989). These accessory limbs are usually smaller than the normal limbs and have stiff joints and sparse muscles with innervations (Pohlmeyer, 1974).Polymelia is reported from human, cattle, deer, dolphin, frog, cat, dog and poultry but is extremely rare in swine (Hiraga & Demis, 1993; Ramdan et al., 1998; Talamillo et al., 2005). Polymelia in birds is very rare. Only a few cases of polymelia in chicken are recorded from different parts of the world. A Nera black chicken (G...

This is the first exploration of bryophytes in Panch Pokhari of Sindhupalchok district of central Nepal vertically ranged from 850 to 4300 m asl. Of the total record of 151 species, 60 species were categorized as rare in status and two species Jamesoniella automnalis (D.C.) Steph. and Campylopus rechardii Brid were recorded as threatened species. J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 27, 2013: 45-58

An assessment of phyto-ecology and socio-economy of wetlands of Mahakali River system of far-western Nepal was carried through rapid ecological assessments, participatory discussions, transects and quadrat studies, and laboratory analyses to reveal the interactions between physico-chemical characteristics of water and soil, biodiversity and socio-economic regimes. Mahakali river system was flanked by a number of tributaries, steep cliffs, rocks, and was closely associated with riverine and mixed Shorea robusta (Sal) forests, resulting in richness and diversity of habitats and plant species. Vegetation succession was found to conspicuous as transcends farther from river edge, the Phragmites karka was gradually succeeded by Saccharum spontaneum and riverine forest species such as Acacia catechu, Dalbergia sissoo, Bombax ceiba, Eugenia jambolina, Aegle marmelos, etc. A total 140 plant species including 78 ethnomedicinal were inventoried, representing about 27 percent of the district fl...

Natural history collections, are among others, used for studies in biochemistry, genetics and ecology. Avoidance of the use of chemical substances is necessary to avoid loss or modification of the structure, chemical and genetic components of the specimens that reduce their scientific value and stability. The practice of preventive conservation is imperative, for the slowdown of chemical, mechanical and biological damage. In natural history collections of fossils, minerals, rocks, stuffed animals and birds, animal tissues in ethanol, dried plants bottles etc, damages observed include pyrite disease, delaminations, oxidations, discolourations, cracks, photomechanical and plastic damage. To avoid damage, it is necessary to control environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, radiation and pollutants, provide proper storage condition and perform regular recording of the collections. Preventive conservation becomes a real challenge in the case of fossil-bearing areas...

This essay analyzes the process of change experienced by the Museum of Natural History (NHM) in London in its exhibition program throughout the 1970s during the development of the so-called New Exhibition Scheme (NES), which went from a speech based on real specimens to one focused on audiovisual media, interactive devices and highly structured scripts. The NES contemplated ten permanent exhibitions, beginning with the Human Biology exhibition, an Exhibition of Ourselves, inaugurated in 1977 and which is the case study of the article. Several factors, as suggested here, encouraged and accelerated such a significant change, since the Museum had to justify that it was a socially responsible institution. From that moment, the visitor acquired a greater prominence, especially, even from the collections and exhibitions. The new professionals of the museum joined the process of creating exhibitions, displacing the conservatives, who had traditionally been in charge of these tasks, from very different values ​​and practices. They turned to audiovisual and interactive devices to combine education and entertainment and sought a pedagogical approach that balanced two recent educational theories, such as programmed learning and discovery learning.

Catalogues are the core documents of museum structure and meaning. Yet no significant computational analysis has been made of how catalogues from the early modern period are constructed or of the way their structure and content relate to the world from which collections are assembled. The Leverhulme-funded ‘Enlightenment Architectures: Sir Hans Sloane’s catalogues of his collections’ (2016–19), a collaboration between the British Museum and University College London, with contributing expertise from the British Library and the Natural History Museum, seeks to change this. The Enlightenment Architectures project is analysing Sloane’s original manuscript catalogues of his collections to understand their highly complex information architecture and intellectual legacies. In this article we explore some of the challenges of seeking to integrate the methods of digital humanities with those of cataloguing, inventory, curatorial and historical studies and of bringing such interdisciplinary approaches to bear on early modern documentary sources.

Present study analyzed indigenous uses of medicinal plants and their informant consensus factor. Uses of Berberis asiatica for eye troubles with 1.0 consensus factor, Asparagus racemosus for galactogogue, Cordyceps sinensis as tonic and longetivity, Nardostachys grandiflora for eplilepsy and Phyllanthus emblica as diuretic with 0.97 each were highest consensus factor values and these species showed the greatest affinity to the common uses of Ayurveda and phytochemical findings. Highest informant consensus ...

The delocalizing, expropriatory intent behind the Linnaean taxonomical enterprise is well known. Among other things, Linnaeus rejected indigenous plant names in favor of names that decontextualized plants and reinserted them into a European classificatory framework for the purposes of categorizing, acclimatizing and exploiting them. What has been largely overlooked, however, is the extent to which late-Enlightenment Linnaean botanists themselves continued not only to rely on indigenous knowledge and guidance in their colonial fieldwork, but also to actively cultivate a knowledge of indigenous languages – especially indigenous plant names – for themselves. One reason for this omission, I suggest, is that historians of botany have formed a more or less totalizing impression of the discipline’s late eighteenth-century cultural significance from published flora and other writings in which Linnaean binomial species names predominate. My own line of inquiry, on the other hand, contrasts the marginality of indigenous plant names in published texts with their far greater prominence in unpublished materials. For the purposes of this paper I draw particularly on Daniel Solander’s Plantae Otaheitensis, a manuscript virtually ignored by historians. The intention is threefold: to draw attention to a heretofore underutilized resource for Cook voyage historians; to augment a growing scholarly awareness of indigenous knowledge-making contributions to Enlightenment botany; and finally, in highlighting the disjuncture between exoteric print conventions and esoteric plant-collecting practices, to shed further light on the oft-observed correlation between botany and early Romantic epistemology.