The State Herbarium has two administrative reporting lines.

We report through the Chief Botanist to the Board of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium, which is responsible for the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Act, 1978, and are also part of the Science Resource Centre.

The activities of the State Herbarium are embodied in the following strategic plans:

The role of the Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium in relation to the State Herbarium is embodied in the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Act 1978, including:

  • establish and maintain a herbarium and, subject to this Act, retain original specimens included in the herbarium
  • accumulate and care for specimens (whether living or preserved), objects and things of interest in the fields of botany, horticulture, biology, conservation of the natural environment or history
  • accumulate and classify data in regard to any such matters
  • carry out or promote research into matters of interest in the fields of botany, horticulture, biology, conservation of the natural environment or history
  • disseminate information of interest in the fields of botany, horticulture, biology, conservation of the natural environment or history
  • undertake commercial exploitation of knowledge acquired by the Board in the course of conducting research
  • provide consultant services
  • perform any other functions of scientific, educational or historical significance that may be assigned to the Board by Regulation.