INTRODUCTION
Plant pressing is the process of arranging plant or flower specimens and applying pressure to
flatten them. It is a great way to preserve specimens for record-keeping or to mount and present
specimens so that their appearance can be observed and appreciated (Plant Pressing: 3 Tips
for Success, 2022).
For this activity, we pressed a specimen of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), in order to
create a herbarium.
PROCESS
STEP 1 Selection-A water spinach plant was selected for the activity; specimen was cut.
STEP 2 Preparation - Damaged leaves were removed; initial position of the plant was
determined.
STEP 3 Poisoning - Plant specimen was rolled in denatured alcohol to remove bacteria or mold
STEP 4 Layering - Plant specimen was layered between cheesecloth, newspaper, and
cardboard.
STEP 5 Pressing - Layered setup was placed in wooden press and secured with tire interior.
STEP 6 Drying - Press was allowed to dry for 3 weeks next to a warm refrigerator.
MOUNTING PROCESS
STEP 7 Opening - Press was opened and layered materials were carefully removed.
STEP 8 Trimming - Damaged leaves were removed.
STEP 9 Mounting - The stem and leaf tips were glued to a board; board was wrapped with
plastic cover.
IMPORTANCE AND APPLICATION
Accurate plant pressing allows professionals to observe the changes of plants over time. Plant
pressing is a tool that botanists use to dry and flatten the plant for them to easily store and
observe its beauty (Pressing and Drying, 2021). It also allows them to preserve and collect the
plants to serve as documentation for scientific collections or as a reference to obtain a new
collection (Multiple Uses of the Herbarium, 2023). Meanwhile, herbariums serve as a permanent
record of Earth's flora that provides invaluable for the study of plants, evolution and
biogeography (Dewangan, 2023).