BRIT is open for public use by appointment, from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Please contact us beforehand to make sure someone will be available to orient you and assist you if necessary. BRIT is closed on most national holidays.
See BRIT Policy for Commercial Use
Policies for Non-botanist Visitors
All public visitors are welcome. In order to provide guided assistance in viewing exhibits and/or touring the facility, it is necessary to call in advance of your intended visit so a staff member is available. Staff assistance is required in order to use the herbarium. Collections are unavailable for use when a staff member is not on site. See Herbarium Guidelines and Regulations for proper specimen handling techniques.
Filing System: Types, Algae, Fungi, Lichens, Bryophytes, Ferns/Fern allies, Gymnosperms, Dicots, and Monocots are filed separately. Families are arranged alphabetically. Genera and species are alphabetical within the family, then geographically in the following order: Texas, North America (NA), Mexico/Central America (MEX-CA), South America (SA), West Indies (WI), Europe (EUR), Africa (AFR), Asia (ASIA), Australia (AUSTR), and Cultivated (CULT). Texas specimens are alphabetical by county for each species and North American specimens are alphabetical by state and then by county for each species. Types are filed according to basionym.
Refiling: DO NOT refile sheets you have annotated. Check with herbarium staff for instructions as to what to do with: sheets needing to be refiled after annotation, any sheets you think might be misfiled, types discovered, specimens in need of repair.
Annotations: Annotations are necessary for the continued functionality of the herbarium. For mounted specimens, annotations should be written in permanent ink or typed on annotation labels with the name of the investigator, date, and the institution of the investigator. Please glue the annotation labels directly above the specimen data labels and any previous annotations or to the left of the label if possible. We can assist you with any supplies that you may need. Annotations of unidentified material at the end of each genus/family are very much appreciated.
Loans: If you wish to receive material on loan, please select the specimens and make a note of the request, with your name. Have your institution’s curator or collections manager make a formal request for the material addressed to the BRIT Collections Manager. It will then be processed and shipped to you.
Removing Material from Specimens: If you wish to remove material from mounted specimens, you must first receive approval from the Collections Manager.
