The main roles played by herbaria are as follows:
- The primary role of herbaria is to prepare pressed, dried plants, store them in cabinet, protect them from attacks by fungi and insects, and store them for study.
- Type specimens on the description of which the species names are established are kept in safe rooms with limited access.
- Knowledge of plant taxonomy and distribution is joined from herbarium specimens.
- Herbaria provide a facility for identification of plant specimens on site as well as by post.
- Now - a - days the herbaria provide information on endangered species.
- Many herbaria have arrangements for training the interested persons in herbarium practices - collection, pressing, drying, mounting, labelling, storing and protecting plant specimens.
