Scientific Institute of Rabat / e-ReColNat Infrastructure

Founded in 1920, the National Herbarium (RAB) of Morocco stands out by the richness of its collections, and the continuous work carried out since its conception.

The Herbarium of Rabat is one of the most significant herbaria of North Africa, with about 150,000 specimens. It is also the only old herbarium of Morocco that contains products from botanical inventories dating back to the colonial period. For this reason, it includes, among others, L. Emberger and Ch. Sauvage main collections. More broadly, because of their shared history, the Rabat (RAB), Paris (P), and Montpellier (MPU) herbaria each contain complementary collections dedicated to Moroccan flora. Today, due to its privileged geographical location and the frequent visits from researchers, the RAB Herbarium sees its collection constantly enriched with new specimens, mostly from Morocco.

Furthermore, in the near future, the RAB Herbarium should receive and integrate all the herbaria collection of the Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II (IAV), which contains from 30,000 to 40,000 specimens.

The Herbaria of Montpellier and Rabat are very similar, particularly regarding the layout of the specimens, the general organization, and the collections’ administration. The skills acquired in Montpellier are easily transferable to Rabat, as both institutions have been collaborating in an exemplary manner for many years. The National RAB Herbarium contains about 150,000 to 160,000 specimens of vascular plants, with over 1,000 types already retrieved and isolated, and with numerous specimens of either rare or endemic Moroccan species. We estimate that the Herbarium should contain over 1,200 types from North Africa, and over 2,000 exceptional taxa (rare, endemic, or/and threatened).

There is also over 3,200 species of lichens, and 500 species of bryophytes, with probably an important number of types. Lastly, the RAB Herbarium possesses about 680 species, subspecies, and varieties of fungi, likely including numerous types and endemic Moroccan species. The RAB Herbarium fungi collection is unique in Morocco, and does not exist anywhere else, which would explain the significant effort that should be dedicated to its preservation.

Contact
Jalal El Oualidi : jalal.eloualidi@um5.ac.ma