The oldest preserved herbal collection of the Białowieża Primeval Forest flora dates back to the end of the 19th century (F. Błoński, K. Drymmer, A. Ejsmond). The later collections (P. Graebner-sen., J. Paczoski) were destroyed during World War II. Currently, the largest herbariums of the Białowieża Forest belong to the Department of Natural Forests of the Forest Research Institute in Białowieża and to the Białowieża Geobotanical Station of the University of Warsaw. The herbarium of the Białowieża Geobotanical Station was established in 1959, on the initiative of prof. Janusz B. Faliński. The BSG herbarium includes collections of vascular plants, bryophytes, liverworts and lichens from the Białowieża Forest and its western foreland. The collection of vascular plants contains over 30 000 sheets with over 900 species. The herbarium also preserves material from the BSG study sites located outside the Białowieża Forest. The collection of bryophytes and liverworts includes about 3 600 envelopes with almost 180 species, and the collection of lichens – 2 200 envelopes with almost 350 species.
