Selmar Schonland Herbarium
Grahamstown 6140
South Africa
Tony Dold
Email: t.dold@ru.ac.za
The Selmar Schonland Herbarium (GRA) was created in 1993 by the amalgamation of the Albany Museum Herbarium (GRA) and the Rhodes University Herbarium (RUH). It is named in honour of the distinguished botanist who did much to establish botany in South Africa in the late 19th century. The collection belongs to the Albany Museum and is managed and curated by staff of the Rhodes University Botany Department. The herbarium houses approximately 200 000 plant specimens, making it the fourth largest herbarium in South Africa and the ninth largest on the African continent. Taxonomic coverage is broad, and although the majority of specimens are Angiosperms, the herbarium also has an important collection of algae. Geographically, GRA focuses on the flora of the eastern Cape Province of South Africa, although collections from most parts of southern Africa are also available. The herbarium provides a free information service to students, researchers, and the general public.