National Museums Liverpool

The Algal collections at World Museum (National Museums Liverpool(LIV)) consist of around 9,000 specimens. LIV houses historical material from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and is actively expanding its contemporary collections.

The collection has a number of early British collections such as the Thomas Velley herbarium consisting of eight volumes of marine algae from the south coast of England (1789-1802) and Hulme's 'The Scarborough Algae' (1842). They contain collections from Ross’s voyage of the Erebus and Terror (1839-43) to the Southern and Antarctic Regions. It also includes notable collectors such as John Ralfs, James E. Smith and John Boswarva.

The most significant collection in the algae collection is the University of Liverpool herbarium (LIVU) which comprises of around 4,000 specimens reflecting Liverpools long involvement in phycology. This includes collections from Elsie Burrows, Mary Parke, Frederik C.E. Børgesen, Edward F. Linton, M. Díaz-Piferrer, S.R. Lenormand, George Russell, Elsie Conway, Peter Dixon, Robin South and N.L. Gardner. It also has a number of exsiccate including Hauck & Richter Phykotheka universalis which includes specimens from Paul C. Hennings, Theodor Reinbold and Heinrich Heiden.