Erik Acharius lichen collection

Acharius Herbarium (H-ACH) is separately kept at the Botanical Museum of the Finnish Museum of Natural History. It includes about 5500 specimens of lichens, brought together by the Swedish lichenologist Erik Acharius (1757-1819). Acharius, a pupil of Carl von Linné, was a Swedish physician, professor and knight and is known as the "Father of Lichenology". The collection is one of the most significant biological collections in our university. It contains hundreds of type specimens, including those described in Acharius's book "Lichenographia Universalis" (1810). No loans are normally sent out from this collection but visitors are allowed to study and photograph the material. The material primarily derives from Sweden, but also from other countries. It was bought from Sweden in 1834.