The Herbarium of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (PE) traces its origins to the herbarium of the Peiping Fan Memorial Institute of Biology, founded in 1928, and the herbarium of Institute of Botany, National Academy of Peiping established in 1929. With a construction area of approximately 11,000 square meters, it is the largest and most comprehensive herbarium in China and even Asia in terms of the volume and variety of plant specimens. It also serves as the main repository for the National Plant Specimen Resource Center, a national-level science and technology infrastructure platform approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance. It plays a vital supporting role in botanical research, biodiversity conservation, ecological civilization construction, and public science education.

After nearly a century of relentless exploration and accumulation, the herbarium has achieved remarkable results in its specimen preservation system, research environment, and modern management, exerting significant international influence in the fields of plant taxonomy and biodiversity conservation. Currently, it houses approximately 3.105 million specimen resources, including 420,000 moss specimens, 200,000 pteridophyte specimens, and 2.335 million seed plant specimens, along with 80,000 seed samples and 70,000 fossil specimens. The collection covers 167 countries and regions worldwide and all provinces and regions of China, accounting for 13% of the national total plant specimen resources. The specimens encompass 77% of the bryophyte species, 82% of the pteridophyte species, and 75% of the seed plant species recorded in the new edition of the Catalog of Life China. This includes 25,000 type specimens and 296,000 international specimens. In terms of international exchange and cooperation, the herbarium has established professional connections, such as specimen exchange and loan services, with over 100 herbaria in 41 countries and regions, and has trained taxonomic professionals for several countries.

In recent years, the herbarium has intensified its efforts to optimize the digital and information management processes, achieving significant results. To date, 73% of the collection has been digitized and made available for resource sharing. The herbarium has established an information management system that integrates specimen digitization, business services, and research project archiving, providing relevant information for environmental protection, sustainable resource utilization, and decision-making by government departments. Furthermore, the herbarium fully leverages its resource and expertise advantages to actively serve public science education. It is open to the public throughout the year and promotes plant science knowledge through various forms such as summer camps, open days, training workshops, and WeChat official accounts, advocating for a harmonious relationship between plants and the environment, and humans and nature, thereby raising public awareness of plant diversity conservation.