Plant collecting is the acquisition of plant specimens for the purposes of research, cultivation or as a hobby. Plant specimens may be kept alive, but are more commonly dried and pressed to preserve the quality of the specimen. Plant collecting is an ancient practice with records of Chinese botanist collecting roses over 5000 years ago. Herbariums are collections of preserved plants samples and their associated data for scientific purposes. The largest Herbarium in the world exist at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, in Paris, France. Plant samples in herbariums typically include a reference sheet with information about the plant and details of collection. This detailed and organized system of filing provides horticulturist and other researchers alike with a way to find information about a certain plant, and a way to add new information to an existing plant sample file.

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