Bolus Herbarium, Botanical research center at University of Cape Town, South Africa

The Bolus Herbarium is a botanical research center at the University of Cape Town that holds around 350,000 plant specimens carefully arranged across two levels. Researchers and students use this organized collection as reference material for their botanical work.

The herbarium was founded in 1865 when Harry Bolus donated his private collection and library to the South African College, which later became the University of Cape Town. This gift established the foundation for the research center that operates today.

The herbarium's library came with Harry Bolus's 1865 bequest and grew through later gifts, including collections bequeathed by C. Louis Leipoldt in 1946, Henry Georges Fourcade in 1948 and Jan Smuts in 1950. The herbarium's international abbreviation is BOL, used on specimen labels and in publications such as the Annals of the Bolus Herbarium, issued in four editions between 1915 and 1928.

The herbarium is located on the University of Cape Town campus and welcomes visits with prior arrangement and permission. Getting in touch ahead of time helps ensure access and lets you know what viewing options are available.

The herbarium's international abbreviation is BOL, used on specimen labels and in publications worldwide. Its core holdings include Harry Bolus's own orchid and heath sets, Lulu Bolus's Mesembryanthemum collection, Augusta Vera Duthie's fungi and Henry Georges Fourcade's trees from between Humansdorp and George.