The Defra ODA Legumes Project comprises the records of all herbarium sheet specimens of Dalbergia and Pterocarpus, and selected specimens from the subtribe Phaseolinae, housed in the general herbarium at the Natural History Museum, London at the time of project completion (March 2019).

The collection was digitised with a mandate to create and share, via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), a dataset of 10,000 herbarium specimens (images and metadata) to be used in scientific research into food security and timber production in ODA listed countries. In order to deliver the 10k specimen target, an additional 24 Genera housed in adjacent cabinets were imaged (including Cajanus, Bolusafra, Fagelia, Dunbaria, Atylosia, Baukea, Endomallus, Paracalyx, Pitcheria, Rhynchosia, Eriosema, Carrissoa, Flemingia, Dalbergiella, Phylloxylon, Cyclolobium, Machaerium, Paramachaerium, Tipuana, Vatairea, Vataireopsis, Platypodium, Centrolobium and Coroya).

Each specimen record has been published with an image capturing the herbarium sheet with any associated labels, and an inventory record created via that specimen’s unique identifier (barcode), taxon information, and geographical region. Some specimens will have additional images capturing the reverse side of the sheet, while a subsection will have additional data transcribed from the labels (collector, collection date, and locality).

The data resource generated by the project is available using the link. Please search for the relevant taxa.

The collection was digitised as part of the Museum's Digital Collections Programme, and the Defra-funded project “Supporting research in food security and timber management in tropical ODA listed countries” in collaboration with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.