Collection Numbering

Example of unambiguous numbering system

If you already have an unambiguous numbering system for your collections, we encourage you to continue with that. In our system, we include the initials of the collector, a four digit number to indicate the year collected, a three digit sequential number assigned to the population collected, and a three digit sequential number assigned to the specimen sampled within that population. Thus, if John A. Doe collects a voucher of Fraxinus from his tenth collection for 2008, the collection number for the third tree from that population would be coded as JAD/2008/010/003. The year (2008) is followed by the collection site (010) which is followed by the tree that was sampled (003).

JAD / 2008 / 010 / 003
JAD	=	John A Doe
2008	=	collected in 2008
010	=	10th collection site for year 2008
003	=	3rd tree from the 10th collection site