The algae collection of the herbarium BCN contains more than 6,000 specimens preserved in two types of formats: pressed or with formalin.

The pressed samples are stored in herbarium boxes, ordered by divisions, and each division is sorted alphabetically by species. These samples correspond to marine macrophytes, basically Phaeophyceae, Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta, which come from all along the coastline of the Iberian Peninsula, but mostly from the Catalan-speaking territories (Catalan Countries), the Basque Country and Galicia. In terms of taxa, there is a substantial representation of the genus Cystoseira.

The vials with formalin basically correspond to microscopic freshwater algae. The samples are typically plurispecific, with a given taxon being predominant. These samples are not available for loan and can only be studied at the centre.

Currently, the collection of pressed samples is completely computerized and can be consulted on the webpage of the herbarium’s database.

The scientist who is responsible for this collection is Dr. Jordi Rull, of the Department of Natural Products, Plant Biology and Soil Science at the University of Barcelona.