Pressing method of wax leaf specimen

Wax leaf specimen, also known as pressed specimen, is the most common kind of plant specimen. It is crucial to correctly identify plant species to make specimens that can maintain the natural and true morphological characteristics of plants.

The advantage of wax leaf specimens is that they can be preserved for a long time. The collection of wax leaf specimens with a long history in the world can even be traced back to around the 16th century. However, the wax leaf specimen made by this traditional method has faded due to the destruction of chlorophyll and anthocyanins in the plant. In addition, because the wax leaf specimen uses the pressing process, the final product presents a flat state that has been faded into brown yellow and fixed on the table paper, which is not dominant from the aesthetic point of view.

The suppression process is the key to combine the original ecological characteristics of plants with artistic beauty. The on-site pressing effect is the best after collecting the specimen, but the actual operation is time-consuming and labor-intensive, which is difficult. Therefore, the plant can be put into the self sealing plastic bag. In order to prevent extrusion deformation, it is necessary to inflate the belt, mark the corresponding collection information and bring it back for pressing after sealing. For plants that are thin and vulnerable to water loss, they must be suppressed on site to accurately describe plant characteristics.

When placing the plants in the specimen folder, try to spread the roots, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, and turn them over partially to better understand the specimen characteristics.