Abstract:
The BRAHMS software has been designed to manage both large herbaria, including
those with several million collections, and individual researcher databases,
for example, for monographs.
Whether BRAHMS is viewed as a database for species or collections management ,
or both, depends more on the nature of the project that the software itself.
Where herbarium management is the priority, inevitably, the emphasis of work
will be with collections. In these cases, the level of 'species' data stored
may never graduate beyond the basic name and author. However, in many cases, as
databases mature, opportunities usually arise to enrich the database with
nomenclature and other facts about the species, expanding output potential.
Other projects are solely concerned with assembling species names and facts
about these species. In summary, BRAHMS enables you to:
- Add data efficiently either by typing in new data or by importing data from
existing files, perhaps downloaded from a web site.
- Edit, refine and develop these data using standard edit functions and special
tools for working with botanical data.
- Analyse your data using calculate functions and custom summaries.
- Search your database using standard BRAHMS data extract functions or your own
custom queries.
- Prepare outputs using data gathered from all corners of your database, either
to print directly or export to other software including spreadsheets and word
processors.
- Publish your data on the internet.
Sample databases
- Comprehensive sample monographic data sets are available for the genera Inga,
Leucaena and Pinus for Latin America. These data include full nomenclature and
detailed specimen data with mapping references. Further samples to be added.
-The Inga database (T. D. Pennington, RBG Kew) contains approximately 10000
collection records which were assembled during 5 years spent preparing a
complete monographic treatment of the genus. These specimens are partly the
result of 2 years fieldwork and partly derived from visits to all the major
herbaria of the USA and Europe, plus numerous collections seen at local
herbaria in Central and South America. The records contain information on
common names, uses, phenology as well as latitude/longitude data. The species
names are also linked to the protologue, with information on basionyms,
synonyms, etc.
- The Leucaena database (C. E. Hughes, Plant Sciences, Oxford) includes data on
more than 2800 specimens lodged in 26 herbaria (A, AAU, BISH, BM, CAS, CR, EAP,
F, FHO, G, HAL, HEH, K, LAGU, M, MEXU, MO, NY, OXF, PMA, QAME, TEFH, TEX, UC,
US and W). Detailed field notes, common names, phenology and wild/cultivated
codes, and duplicate records are included and the majority of specimens (2393)
have accurate geographical data (Lat/Long). Full nomenclature including name
status (accepted, basionym, heterotypic synonym, excluded etc.), synonymy and
protologues are included in the database and TYPE collections are linked to
names. Associated research material (nodules, wood, photos, bruchids, seed,
dried leaves etc.) is cited. The database also includes a comprehensive
bibliography.
The Pinus database (A. Farjon, RBG Kew) covers the pines of Mexico, Central
America and the Caribbean (47 species). It includes data on 7043 specimens
lodged in 54 herbaria (A, B, BAB, BANS, BM, CAS, CGE, CHAP, CHAPA, CIIDIR,
COLO, CREG, CU, DS, E, EAP, ENCB, F, FHO, FI, GH, GOET, GUADAL, HAJB, HAL, HEH,
IBUG, IFGP, INIF, JE, K, LAGU, LL, M, MEXU, MICH, MO, NCSC, NY, P, PRF, S, SD,
SYR, TCD, TEFH, TEX, U, UC, US, W, WIS, WU, ZAL). Detailed field notes are
included with locality data for most specimens, 1546 of these have verified
latitude/longitude data used to produce dot distribution maps. Duplicate and
determination records are also included. The nomenclature is complete for all
species with accepted names, synonyms, types and protologues; excluded and
uncertain names are added for the sake of completeness up to the closing date,
i.e. the date of publication of the Flora Neotropica Monograph (21 November
1997)
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