While lichens are systematically considered within the fungi group, they are stored in separate collections in herbariums because of their particular characteristics.The samples are wrapped in fine paper and stored in paper envelopes. The envelopes are then put in alphabetical order by species, inside lined cardboard boxes.
The lichen collection of the herbarium BCN is one of the most important in the Iberian Peninsula, both because of its size and the geographical area it covers. It contains roughly 22,000 specimens, mostly from the Catalan-speaking territories (Catalan Countries) and from the Mediterranean region in general. More than a hundred samples are type specimens.
In 2007, the CeDocBiV accepted in trust the herbarium of Dr. Josep Mª Egea, professor of Botany at the University of Murcia. This collection contains more than 11,000 samples and it is stored separately from the general collection. It is now possible to consult which taxa are included and how many samples there are of each one.