Elements and Performance Criteria
- Prepare for plant collecting
- Purpose and objectives for collecting range of plants is confirmed.
- Area, location and/or habitat for collecting are defined.
- Resources to assist in plant location and identification are determined and prepared.
- Equipment required for collecting and preserving specimens is determined and prepared.
- Licences and/or permission to collect specimens are sought from landowner or managing agency.
- Range of likely operating conditions, hazards and difficult/sensitive environments are assessed for impact on collecting and preserving specimens.
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) hazards associated with plant collecting are identified.
- Collect plant specimens
- Collecting ethics are observed when selecting specimens for picking.
- Relevant information about the specimen, its characteristics and occurrence is entered into a field note book and location coordinates are noted.
- Specimen collected provides adequate material for identification and preserving.
- Specimens are correctly tagged and stored for later identification.
- Appropriate OHS legislative requirements and work practices are followed.
- Preserve specimens
- Preservation of specimen is undertaken while still fresh.
- Specimen is cleaned and prepared for preserving according to enterprise guidelines.
- Preserving of specimen carried out using either pressing or drying techniques.
- Dried specimen is mounted and labelled with accurate information from notebook.
- Identify plant specimen
- Resources are identified and accessed to assist in identification.
- The basic characteristics of a plant are identified and documented.
- Relevant plant key is used to identify plant.
- Plant identity is confirmed against botanical description of species.
- Plant identity is documented on label according to enterprise guidelines.