One specimen does not stand for every specimen
Kew's data portal includes, for example, record K001039632 for a preserved Cannabis sativa specimen. It displays taxonomic information, identifiers and available collection data. It also leaves some fields blank. That combination is instructive: a scientific record can be useful without pretending to know every detail of an object's provenance.
When looking at a sheet, it helps to separate three levels: the species to which it is assigned, the physical specimen and the digital record. A correction to the identification may update the record without changing the preserved plant. A photograph makes consultation easier, but cannot replace every observation that could be made of the material. Each level contributes part of the information.
The label is part of the object
A name, collection and number make a specimen retrievable. Other fields may record a date, locality or collector when these are known. They should not be inferred from the paper's appearance or the handwriting style. If a collection date is missing, the date on which the record was digitised cannot replace it. These are different events in the specimen's documentary life.
The distinction is useful beyond botany too. Online, we often find old images with recent dates because they have only just been published. The digital version may be new while the object is not. Reading what each date means prevents mistaken timelines and helps us cite a collection accurately.
Being visible does not make an image free to use
The cited Kew record identifies the rights holder and specifies an image licence. Checking those fields is part of responsible reuse. Saving a photograph from a search engine is not enough: retain the link to its record and follow the applicable conditions. Attribution also allows other people to trace their way back to the source.
When a magazine uses a generated illustration to explain a herbarium, it should distinguish it from a documentary photograph. The former may help explain a composition; the latter records how a particular specimen appears. Mixing those roles would create a false impression of evidence. Visual creativity works better when readers know what kind of image they are looking at.
Visiting a collection also needs context
Kew explains that routine access to its herbarium is intended for research, with general public access offered on special occasions. An online collection should therefore not automatically be advertised as somewhere anyone can visit freely. The digital archive has value of its own: it lets us pause, zoom in and compare records from home, following the information the institution actually provides.
Take this with you
A herbarium preserves plants and data; gaps in a record also belong in a careful reading.
Sources you can open
The source may be in its original language. English publication does not change the jurisdiction or date discussed.
Follow the thread
Open the cannabinoid encyclopedia
Check the identity, research, uncertainties and documented forms of each compound.