The Fern DNA Database and Silica Archive contains over 11,000 accessions (as of Feb. 2017), each linking a herbarium voucher to material available for DNA extraction. The integration of (usually) silica-dried leaf tissue with herbarium vouchers and their associated metadata makes the collection a valuable resource for a wide range of collections-based research involving ferns and lycophytes. The archived samples are housed in acid-free envelopes within sealed compartments containing silica gel.
Each included sample has an associated herbarium voucher, which is listed along with relevant information such as the species name, collector, collection locality, and history, in the Fern DNA Database. The database has filter functions that allow users to find, and export, the data for whatever subset of accessions they are interested in.
Material from the silica archive is available to the broader systematics community on a case-by-case basis; interested parties are encourage to consult the silica archive material request form.