​​​​About the Herbarium​

Plant Herbarium is a library containing all documents and records of all plant information. Plants are preserved as a collection of dried, compressed and mounted models on cardboard in a form that matches the living image of the plant as a reference record and managed by an official specializing in plant classification. International rules require that samples be kept by their Latin scientific names and provided with full information on the name, species, habitat, name of the person who collected them, the date of their collection and the name of the one who identified them and that they be arranged in accordance with one of the contemporary classification systems within the cabinets dedicated to the preservation of grassy plant samples.​

The herbarium is an important research unit in research centers and in the Biology Department of the Faculties of Science, which is interested in scientific research on wild plants and helps to identify mechanisms for preserving plant diversity and sustainable use of vegetation. The scientific introduction service for plant samples is provided free of charge to researchers, students, and the general public.


Origin of the Herbarium

Since its inception, the Biology Department of the College of Science has a true national scientific wealth, consisting of many dried and compressed herbal plant specimens collected at varying intervals across Saudi Arabia. The College of Science Herbarium at Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University (PNUH) is promising to be established as a voluntary initiative in 1434 H-2013, and based on the decision of the Deanship council for scientific research no. 28568/JC On 12-4-1438 H was approved for the research project submitted by Dr. Najla Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Shaya- specialized in the classification of pink plants entitled: "Classification studies on plant species in the Herbarium of the College of Science at Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman University, Systematic Studies on Plant Species in the Herbarium of the College of Science in Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University", in cooperation with the research team Dr. Yahya Aplay (Jazan University) and Dr. Jacob Thomas (Formerly King Saud University), assistant researcher Professor Ibtisam Al-Qahtani, Professor Awat Al-Sofayani, Professor Asma Al-Sharbji and Professor Salma Al-Ghamdi. The burden of this work and its access to its honorable image has carried renewed hands every year of students and teachers and harnessing all the energies during school hours by directing the activities of students during practical lessons or with the participation of volunteers who loved the idea of the initiative and wanted to make their mark with useful knowledge to benefit from; year after year of hard work aimed at identifying and classifying plant species through various fluorine references and visiting the national pension to meet specialists. We had to think seriously to give the plants the definition, designation and accurate scientific classification, which qualifies us to have a Herbarium with women's hands, especially for the Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman University and benefits researchers inside and outside the university and all segments of society.

The building block was to shine the dawn of this project and with the determination of the officials of the College of Science to provide a headquarters in the library of the College of Science for the establishment of the Herbarium and sought to thank them for their constant care and follow-up to facilitate and overcome the difficulties and challenges faced by the initiative of establishing the Herbarium to appear in a proper appearance and to achieve the desired goals in the service of the university and society, to match the level of their counterparts educational institutions, and this dream moved to the ground. 

It was officially opened on 24-7-1439 H 10-4-2018 in the presence of the Dean of Scientific Research H.E. Dr. Manal Al-Shadi and The Dean of the College of Science, Dr. Samira Saidi and her agents, and the Director of the Research Center at the College of Science, H.E. Dr. Munira Al-Abdan, and the Head of the Department of Biology, H.E. Dr. Lamia Al-Shadi. It was accompanied by an accompanying exhibition with the herbalist and the services it provides and the stages of the establishment of the grass, the importance of preserving desert plants and an interesting display of its economic, medical and pastoral importance and the distribution of some gifts and brochures. ​Thanks to Allah, the Herbarium of the College of Sciences within Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman University  has made many research contributions. Establishment of Herbarium Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University(PNUH)

​​​Since its inception, the Biology Department of the Faculty of Science has been engaged in the collection and preservation of plant specimens in dry and wet form from different parts of the country and also received several specimens through student collections. Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University Herbarium is a promising fast developing Herbarium in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The idea of establishing a Herbarium at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University was originally initiated by Dr. Najla AlShaye during 2013(1434 H)  and on the basis of the decision of the Deanship of Scientific Research Council No. 28568 / GKD dated 12/4/1438, a research project entitled  "Systematic Studies on Plant Species in the Herbarium of the Faculty of Science in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University" was initiated by Dr.  Najla Abdulrahman Ali Alshaye In collaboration with the research team, Dr. Yahya Masrahi (Jazan University), Dr. Jacob Thomas (formerly King Saud University), Assistant Researcher, Ms. Ibtisam Al-Qahtani, Ms. Ohood Al-Sufiani, Ms. Asma Al-Sharbaji and Ms. Salma Al-Ghamdi. Through the successive collections and preparation of Herbarium specimens, the team of researchers accessed a good number of specimen and the herbarium of the Faculty of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University was officially inaugurated on 24/7/1439  corresponding to 10/4/2018 by the Dean of Scientific Research, Dr. Manal Al-Shadi, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Dr. Samira Al-Saidi and her Vice Rectors, Director of the Research Center at the Faculty of Science, Dr. Munira Al-Abdan, and Head of the Department of Biology Dr. Lamia Al-Kraidees and her Vice Rectors and some of faculty members.    It was a glorious opening to a scientific beacon crowning the Faculty of Science at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University and it was accompanied by lead lectures and presentations on the phases of the Herbarium establishment, services provided, the significance of preserving desert plants and economic, medical and pastoral importance. ​


Herbarium Management Committee​​

​Name ​​

Role 

Area of specialization

Dr. Najla Abdul rahman Ali Alshaye

Chairperson of the Committee and Director of ​the Herbarium

Molecular plant taxonomy

Dr. Walaa Azmey

Member of the Committee and 

Curator of the Herbarium

Plant taxonomy 

Ms. Salma Al-Ghamdi

Member of the Committee and

Assistant Curator of the Herbarium

Plant Taxonomy​