Tours University

The “Biomolécules et Biotechniques végétales” (Plant Biomolecules and Biotechnic) team at the Faculty of Pharmacy preserves the 3 following herbaria of the Canon and botanist Ernest-Henry Tourlet (1843-1907), The first 2 are listed as "monument historique" (French national heritage site) (Order No. 028 of 19 March 2008). They were restored and computerized, the corresponding pictures are available on the University website.

Plants of Indre-et-Loire:
This herbarium is composed of 143 large format folders, 11,400 pieces, and of 1,530 Phanerogams, Pteridophytes and Characeae species collected between 1864 and 1907 by Tourlet (at 85%) and other botanists from Tours. The collection, of high heritage value, gives an almost complete picture of the flora of Tours in the late 19th century. It is accompanied by the botanist’s herborization notebooks, letters exchanged with local and national correspondents, a local flora project, and a catalogue published in 1908.

General Herbarium:
This herbarium is composed of 125 large format folders, about 16,000 pieces, and of 7,000 Phanerogams, Pteridophytes, and Characeae species (estimated with the current nomenclature). The samples come from Tourlet ‘s collects, and dispatches, purchases, or donations from a large number of collectors. The species mostly come from Europe, Asia Minor, and Maghreb, during the second half of the 19th century.

Bryophytes Herbarium:
A small size bundle of 143 sheets, and 118 species mostly from the Parisian region, from 1864 to 1866, testimony of Tourlet’s activity, pharmacy student at this period.

The team also keeps a small Algae Herbarium (5 folders, 475 sheets), and 40 folders of the Louis-Melchior Narcisse Lesèble Herbarium (1799-1857) composed of 4,560 sheets poorly labeled.

The Pharmacy-Sciences library of the University houses 3 additional collections:

The David Barnsby Herbarium (1832-1916):
This herbarium is composed of 23 boxes, with 2,620 pieces of phanerogams mostly collected in Indre-et-Loire by Barnsby, but also in the rest of France during the second half of the 19th century. A 24th boxe holds a collection of bryophytes and lichens. This collection is computerized.

The Paul-Étienne Villiers du Terrage Herbarium (1774-1858):
This herbarium is composed of 42 large bundle, with about 4,000 samples: it includes phanerogams collected in Holland or France by this préfet d’Empire (state's representative in a department or region during the Empire, an later the Restauration), later préfet de la Restauration following his places of appointment, between 1811 and 1830, supplemented with contributions by David Barnsby who reviewed the whole collection. The collection is under study.

The Herbarium of the Botanical Society of Tours (1905-1915):
This herbarium is composed of 15 folders, and 890 pieces, with species collected in the surroundings of Tours by 3 teachers and a botanist-gardener.

Micromeria juliana a rare species from Indre-et-Loire collected in 1872 and still present in the area (Tourlet Herbarium) © Université de Tours

Ouvirandra fenestralis (= Aponogeton madegascariensis): sample given by Delessert to Paul-Etienne Villiers du Terrage and presented in his Herbarium © Université de Tours

Pistacia vera: collected at Montpellier in 1821 by Paul-Etienne Villiers du Terrage. Sheet of his Herbarium revised by Robert David Barnsby © Université de Tours