Reference herbarium

The grapevine BRC reference herbarium includes over 14 000 files, which makes it unique in its category.  It is divided in three parts:

• The “active” herbarium (approx. 7000 files) corresponding to grapevine accessions presently maintained in the BRC repository-vineyard as 5 plants per accession. Within this active herbarium, approx. 4000 files correspond to cultivated Vitis vinifera accessions (“cépages”):
• The “archive” herbarium (approx. 7000 files) corresponding to accessions withdrawn from the live collection.
• The Montpellier School (Institut agro Montpellier) historical herbarium

Each individual herbarium folder contains several documents:

• herbarium sheets, with on average 5 fully grown leaves representative of the variety;
• normalized morphological descriptions corresponding to herbaceous shoots, young leaves, fully-grown  leaves, bunches and hardwood shoots;
• phenological stage records: date of bud break, flowering, véraison and physiological maturity.
• Notes relative to fruit characteristics: color, size, taste…

The various notes and descriptions are either typed or handwritten documents. They correspond to raw annual data for each accession.  

This herbarium is regularly referred to on site by ampelographers, scientists, professionals of the grapevine industry and hobbyists. That is why an important digitalization project of this unique herbarium has been launched in 2017. Learn more >>    MAKE A DONATION!