Algae
Specimen of saltmarsh variant of bladder wrack collected by William Thompson from Skye in 1850.The algae are a large and varied artificial grouping of plants. The largest are the familiar seaweeds, which include the edible ‘dulse’.Most algae in the Museum’s plant collection (her...

Bryophytes
  The bryophytes are divided into two distinct sub-groups, called mosses and liverworts. The moss shown likes humid, shady conditions.The moss Hookeria lucens

Fungi
Bracket fungus. Ganoderma australe  Many types of fungi grow in Northern Ireland, ranging in size from the microscopic to the large ‘bracket’ fungi found attached to trees.

Lichens
Lichens are fungi that grow in close association with an algal partner. They are very sensitive to chemicals in the air and can be used to assess levels of atmospheric pollution.Lichen specimens from the Museum’s herbarium.

Slime Moulds
Slime moulds (myxomycetes) can be found mainly in woodland, during the damp weather of autumn. They are often very small, but the species shown covers the twigs and branches of trees with a short-lived, slimy, pale grey mass that resembles cold porridge.The slime mould Brefeldia maxima, from Park...

Ferns
The Killarney fern Trichomanes speciosum, Co. Antrim, photographed in 2006.The Killarney fern is one of Northern Ireland's rarest plants, known only from a unique cave site in County Antrim, discovered in 1952. It is protected by law. In the mid-nineteenth century many Irish botanists developed &...