Signs in museum and parks declare: “Fragile! Do not touch. No climbing! Stay on the path.” This fragility is especially true of plant material. The fleetingness of a flower, the brilliance of an autumn leaf—how can we examine these delicate intricacies without harming them?
One way to preserve plant specimens is an herbarium, where material is pressed, dried, and stored. But an herbarium is used primarily for scientific research; it must be stored under specific conditions and handled delicately. Its beauty is mostly hidden away. So how can people appreciate what they cannot see?
One intriguing method of preservation exists in the library of the Arnold Arboretum, which houses a collection of embedded specimens—plant material encased in plastic resin that hardens into a solid block, allowing the viewer to study its contents from all angles. Conceived by horticultural taxonomist Gordon P. DeWolf, Jr., in the 1970s, these beautiful objects were created by former volunteer Sheila Magullion, who passed away in May 2023 at the age of 93. Sheila pioneered the technique of creating these embedded specimens—288 of them, according to Larissa Glasser (who wrote about the collection in 2014)—encasing dried plant material in resin that hardens into a solid block, allowing the viewer to study its contents from all angles.
In a 1976 article for Arnoldia (36:265–75), Sheila detailed the intricate embedding process, beginning with drying the plants. “It is essential that the material be quite dry and as perfect as possible,” she wrote, since any flaws would appear magnified, and improper drying could lead to discoloration. She also highlighted the importance of knowing your materials, as specimens react differently to the drying and casting process. From explaining the molds to describing the perfect resin formula, Magullion’s entire process was a labor of love—whose product can be admired to this day, unmatched in preserving a plant’s true form.
—Jamila dePeiza-Kern
