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Departmental collections

  • Chrysanthemum segetum, Corn Marigold
    Botany collections

    An estimated 5.2 million specimens of seed plants, pteridophytes, bryophytes, lichens, myxomycetes and algae (including substantial diatom collections).

  • Tragocephala nobilis, longhorn beetle
    Entomology collections

    An estimated 28 million prepared specimens, including insects and other terrestrial and freshwater arthropods, including spiders, mites and myriapods.

  • Aquamarine is the blue variety of beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate)
    Mineralogy collections

    Well over a third of a million individual specimens divided into four main elements: minerals, (about 180,000), rocks, (about 120,000), meteorites (about 5,000) and ores (about 70,000).

  • Calymene blumenbachii, trilobite
    Palaeontology collections

    Nine million specimens including microfossils, macro-invertebrates, vertebrates and plants.

  • Tibula-insulae-chorab, Arabian Tibia
    Zoology collections

    About 28 million specimens respresent all recent animal groups except insects and arachnids. The collections are housed at South Kensington, Tring and Wandsworth.

  • Front cover of Australasia by Alfred Russell Wallace, 1893
    Library collections

    Over 790,000 volumes, 112,000 original pieces of arwork, 20,000 photos, 12,000 current serials and geological maps.

  • Sloane's 'Vegetable and Vegetable Substances'.
    Museum treasures

    The treasures of the Museum's collections are available for loan.

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