MUHNAC – Herbarium

Located within the Botanic Garden — classified as National Monument —, it is part of the ensemble of the Escola Politécnica, which belongs to MUHNAC-UL. The building where the Herbarium is housed is an example of Portuguese modernism, with a remarkable purity of forms and a rigorous design, both outside and inside. Organized in three floors and with a terrace over the garden, this building contains the Herbarium LISU (acronym used as a worldwide reference to MUHNAC’s herbarium), along with its main nuclei: Professor António Xavier Pereira Coutinho’s Portuguese herbarium and the so-called general herbarium, with plants from all over the world. Historical collections of great scientific and museum interest, they are an archive of botanical diversity, mostly from Portugal, Africa and Brazil. Its historical and scientific relevance is regularly used for investigating and validating specimens. Through the years, the building has had many uses alongside that of herbarium, such as classrooms, exhibition room and offices. A period dedicated to its renovation intends to fulfil the objective of gathering all of Herbarium LISU’s collections in the building.