A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens that have been stored appropriately, catalogued and systematically organised to provide researchers, students, and the general public with easy access for scientific research and education. The Italian physician and botanist Luca Ghini (1490–1556) is said to have popularized the technique of collecting dried plants mounted on a paper, which his students then spread throughout Europe. Originally, a book in which medicinal plants were described was called a herbarium. Later, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708), a French physician and botanist, coined the term "herbarium" for a collection of pressed, dried plants. In the early days, sheets of pressed, mounted plants were bound into books. The first person to keep his specimens unbound was the famous Swedish taxonomist and scientist Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778), who built a unique cabinet with vertical rows of thin shelves that could hold stacks of herbarium sheets. Primarily, herbarium specimens serve as a reference material for plant identification and authentication, but, subsequently they have been utilised in cytology, palynology, phytogeography, anatomy, conservation biology, phenology, climate change studies, and as a source of DNA that facilitates our understanding of the evolution of plants and the processes by which new plant species arise. The National Herbarium of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (Herbarium acronym: CIMAP) is a rich repository containing specimens of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Bengal, and in particular, the medicinal and aromatic plants. The specimens accessioned into the CIMAP herbarium are collected by faculty, students, amateur botanists, or professionals, including agency biologists and environmental consultants. CIMAP herbarium is actively engaged in floristic and revisionary studies apart from its routine activities. The herbarium also offers various advance training programmes on plant taxonomy and biosystematics for young researchers and faculties. The herbarium also caters the need of research fraternity on various aspects in the plant collection and identification. It also helps others working in different universities and institutions in identification and authentication of plant materials and maintaining their voucher specimens. Academic visitors are welcome in CIMAP Herbarium, but please inform us in advance (See form for Consultation"). For identification and authentication of plant specimens, you need to follow General Instructions before filling the Requisition form for Plant Identification and Authentication. Since CSIR-CIMAP is actively engaged in genetic improvement and conservation of highly important medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). We welcome you to join hands with us in advancing with our mission to conserve and exploit the genetic diversity of MAPs, through submission of live plants, live seedlings or physiologically active seeds, to the National Gene Bank for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants associated with CSIR-CIMAP. Currently, the Gene Bank holds a total of 3,334 pan-Indian accessions in containing 2,476 seed accessions of MAPs belonging to 336 families, 152 genera and 515 species are stored in short-term and medium-term storage facilities. A total of 868 field accessions of MAPs belonging to 80 families of 176 genera and 227 species are being maintained in concept based conservatories of MAPs, viz., AYUSH (Traditional system of medicine), UPAJ (Under cultivation), AMRIT (Leads been obtained by CIMAP), FASAL (Released varieties of CIMAP), SRISHTI (Shrubby MAPs), TARUVAR (Tree species of MAPs), MANAV (MAPs depicted in form of their uses in curing the ailments of different body parts of human), PHAL VAN (MAPs mainly used as fruits) and ANKUR (MAPs used for growing new introductions). You can find the form for submitting your live plants/live seedlings/or physiologically active seeds along with your plant specimens that you intend to get identified and authenticate. For each of the submission, a certified Accession Number from the National Gene Bank for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants will be also provided. Downloads General Instructions (for authentication of Herbarium specimens) Requisition form for Plant Identification and Authentication Request form for Herbarium Consultation