Botany
Botany Collections
In view of the profound natural and human induced changes constantly affecting the planet’s vegetation cover, botanical collections represent a scientific and cultural heritage of the highest importance.
The MNHNL’s botanical collections comprise, on the one hand, the dried plant and fungal specimens of the national herbarium (international herbarium code LUX), and on the other hand the seed bank of native plants and the living plant collections of the Kirchberg Arboretum and the Museum gardens.
The Herbarium
The LUX Herbarium contains more than 100,000 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, algae, and fungi, dating from the late 18th century to the present day. More than 2,500 different species of vascular plants have so far been recorded in the LUX collections. These include species native to Luxembourg or neighbouring parts of Europe, as well as specimens from more distant regions in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and even Indonesia. Specimen labels provide valuable information on the date and locality of collection, identification, and the collectors involved.
Many plants that were common in the 19th and 20th centuries have now disappeared from our flora; species distributions have shifted, and new species have appeared. Herbarium specimens bear witness to the presence of a species at a specific place and time. When a new species is scientifically described, the type specimen—an example of the plant serving as the reference for identifying that species—is deposited in a herbarium.
The herbarium is not open to the public, but can be consulted online or by appointment. Loans may be obtained by submitting a written request to the curators.
Collections
Historical collections
The acquisition of the herbarium sheets of the botanist François Auguste Tinant (1803–1853), author of the first Flore luxembourgeoise published in 1836, marks the beginning of the museum’s botanical collection.
The prestigious Herbier du Grand Duché de Luxembourg, in 14 volumes, was compiled in 1883 by the botanist and forestry engineer Jean Pierre Joseph Koltz (1827–1907) for King William III of the Netherlands. It is accompanied by a largely handwritten catalogue documenting the flora of Luxembourg at that time.
The fungal collection of Dr Jean Feltgen (1833–1904) contains numerous type specimens of new species described in his Vorstudien zu einer Pilz Flora des Grossherzogthums Luxemburg, published in several volumes between 1899 and 1906.
The rich collection of more than 8,500 specimens assembled by the German botanist and forestry officer Adolf Ferdinand Hugo Ilse (1835–1900) originates from 24 countries.
Contemporary collectors
Professor of biology Leopold Reichling (1921–2009), a leading Luxembourgish botanist of the 20th century, collected and prepared more than 5,000 plant specimens from the Grand Duchy between 1947 and 1967, in addition to his numerous publications on Luxembourg’s flora.
During his studies of the montane vegetation zones of Mount Trichora in Indonesia, Jean Marie Mangen collected around 1,200 plant specimens between 1982 and 1988. These are deposited in the MNHNL herbarium and document the previously unknown flora of that region.
In 2023, Professor Emerita of Geobotany at the University of Trier, Dr Barbara Ruthsatz, bequeathed to the MNHNL her herbarium of around 15,000 specimens, collected mainly in southern Europe, but also in Spain, Iceland, and other regions.
Museum Seed Bank
In addition to its collections of plant specimens, the MNHNL manages a seed bank dedicated to the medium-term preservation of seed lots from native wild plants. The seeds are available for use in natural site restoration projects or research initiatives. The Naturmusée participates in several restoration and native plant production projects, such as ''Heck vun hei'' [native hedge] and ''Wëllplanzesom Lëtzebuerg'' [Luxembourg wild plant seeds].
After cleaning, all seed lots undergo a standard germination test to determine their viability. Then, following desiccation, the seed lots are sealed and frozen at –20 °C to preserve their germination capacity as effectively as possible.
Seeds are made available upon request.
Kirchberg Arboretum
The woody plant collection of the Kirchberg Arboretum extends over a total area of around 30 hectares, spread across three public parks in the Kirchberg district.
Since 1994, trees and shrubs from across Europe and neighbouring regions have been planted here by the Fonds Kirchberg [Kirchberg Fund].
The museum provides the scientific management of the collection, which currently comprises around 450 species and varieties.
The arboretum is freely accessible throughout the year
Parc Réimerwee and Parc Central
- Bus: Lines 1, 25 – stop Coudenhove Kalergi
- Tram: Stops Coque, Universitéit, Nationalbibliothéik
- Car: A1/E44 motorway, exit 8 (Circuit de la foire)
- Parking: Boulevard Konrad Adenauer
Parc Klosegrënnchen:
- Bus: Lines 20, 26 - stop Pierre Werner or Hôpital Kirchberg
Lignes 1, 7, 25 - stop Hôpital Kirchberg
Lignes 7, 16, 25 - stop LUXEXPO - Tram: stop LUXEXPO
- Car: A1/E44 motorway, exit 8 (Circuit de la foire),
Parking: P+R Foire
Coordination
Publications
Heuertz, M., 1951. L'herbier du musée d’histoire naturelle de Luxembourg. Bulletin De La Société Royale De Botanique De Belgique / Bulletin Van De Koninklijke Belgische Botanische Vereniging 83: 259-262.
Helminger, T., O. Weber & P. Braun, 2020. Digitisation of the LUX herbarium collection of the National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg. Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois 122 : 147-152, URL (Pdf).
