Charles University in Prague Herbarium
Department of Botany
Charles University in Prague
Benátská 2
12801 Praha
Czech Republic
Fax: 420/ 221951645
Web: https://botany.natur.cuni.cz/cevnate/prc/index.php?lang=en
P. Mráz, Head Curator
Email: mrazpat@natur.cuni.cz
V. Mrázová, GPI project
Email: mrazici5@gmail.com
Herbarium of the Charles University in Prague (PRC) was founded in 1775 and houses more than 2,200,000 specimens of algae, bryophytes, fungi, lichens and vascular plants. A seed collection consisting of more than 20,000 samples and representing ca 11,000 taxa of vascular plants is also a part of PRC. By its size and number of nomenclatural types, the most important is the section of vascular plants. It contains more than 2,000,000 specimens.
Among the most valuable collections from the end of the 18th and the first half of the 19th are the collections of F.W. Schmidt (1764-1796), T. Haenke (1761-1817) (collection processed by K. Presl, J. Presl and A.P. de Candolle), I.F. Tausch (1793-1848), F.W. Sieber (1789-1844) and K. Presl (1794-1852). The collection of K. Presl includes hundreds of original specimens which are related mainly to the flora of Sicily and ferns worldwide. The PRC also includes large Balkan collections of J. Velenovský, G. Beck von Mannagetta, K. Vandas, J. Rohlena and F.A. Novák. During the 20th century, botanical exploration was focused mainly on the territory of former Czechoslovakia and the Carpathians (collections of K. Domin, V. Krajina, J. Dostál, J. Chrtek).
Current research activities involve various taxonomic groups from SE Asia (Zingiberaceae), S Africa (Oxalis), S America (Festuca, Lupinus, Asteraceae) and Europe (various genera of vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and fungi). In the fungi section, highly appreciated is the type collection of J. Velenovský consisting of samples preserved in glass cylinders with liquid preservatives. The bryological collection, containing ca 80,000 specimens, encompasses complete type material of the taxa described by J. Velenovský, J. Vilhelm and J. Váňa. The J. Váňa's collection of liverworts from all across the world (ca 40,000 specimens) also includes many type specimens that were acquired by exchange.