Help! Where can I buy grass samples online for my grass collection?

Question

I'm taking a grass taxonomy class and we are putting together mounted grass collections which includes different species of grass, their scientific names, the region they come from, etc. I have collected all I can from nearby. Does anyone know where I can buy mounted (or unmounted) grass species for my collection online?

Answer 1

that is a great idea, grasses are so diverse and beautiful.
well, i suppose you should rather ask college/university /Botany Institutes/ botanical gardens herbariums around either the whole world or around the region you want to cover (maybe offer some herbarium items for exchange) and you will get their duplicite herbarium items rather than trying at commercial sites. this way you get a selection of determined botanical species, not only some ornamentals. so if you google these botanical institutions and send them begging mails and also google herbarium+sell/buy/for sale i hope you getz what you want. good luck.

edit: on second thought, and how about asking here: people from different parts of the earth can collect samples of grasses and send them to you! grasses are easy to lay flat. like i can do that easily, i think right now i can go for a walk and send some 20 grass species that i collect on the way, no problem. and i can go through my own herbarium and add what i dont need. Czech Republic Europe. Like how many grasses you need and when? What species you already have covered?

Answer 2

iva is right in indicating that botanical institutions build their collections partly by exchanging specimens with other institutions in other places. However, as a student of grass taxonomy you should be making your own collections, identifying and documenting them. If you have really exhausted the grass flora of your area, take a road trip to find more ... you probably only need to travel to a wetter/drier/higher/lower piece of country to the one you live in. Then again, maybe you live in Iowa and can only find wheat ...