XVI International Botanical Congess

John Clayton (1694-1773) was one of the earliest collectors of plants in Virginia and his specimens have considerable historical and nomenclatural importance, as many of them are potential type specimens for Linnaean names. As historically important collections, they have not normally been available for loan, but recent interest in them has encouraged the use of this collection in a pilot project to make images of the Museum's important herbarium specimens available online. Images of all 710 specimens extant at the Museum, together with a searchable database, can now be found on the Museum's website (at http://www.nhm.ac.uk). This is the first of the Museum's virtual collections to be made available in this way and it provides a model for electronic access to other historical collections in the future.