List of charges

The following charges apply for plant identifications and information provided by the Identifications Botanists at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

In person

$16.50 per specimen or inquiry if takes less than 15 minutes.

If the identification takes more than 15 minutes a charge of $132 per hour will apply on a pro rata basis.

Urgent work incurs a surcharge. Charges for urgent identification are $25.30 per specimen or $209 per hour if the identification takes more than 15 minutes.  Urgent work can only be undertaken by prior arrangement between the client and the Identifications Botanist, and is subject to the availability of the Identifications Botanist. The turnover time for urgent identifications is 7–10 working days from receipt of the specimen.

By mail

For specimens sent through the mail or other instances where an invoice is required, there is a minimum charge of $25. Otherwise, mail rates are the same as in-person rates.

Payment

For identifications in person, payments are made to the Identifications Botanist at the time of the service. In these instances credit card facilities are not available.

For specimens received through the mail an invoice will be sent. Please note that we do not accept payment in advance.

The Identifications Botanist may waive or reduce charges if the material received is of benefit to the collections of the National Herbarium of Victoria, for instance new records of native plants or weeds.

All rates include time taken in the preparation of specimens prior to identification and time taken for all communication.

All charges include GST.

Use of identification facilities

The Plant Identifications and Information facilities are available for independent use (i.e. without botanist assistance) for $100 per day or $50 per half day. Assistance by a botanist is only available by prior arrangement and will be charged at the rate of $209 per hour. The facilities include reference collections of both wild and cultivated plants of Victoria.

Turnover time

Normal turnover time for plant identifications is 3 to 6 weeks, and is dependent on availability of staff time.

Urgent work can only be undertaken by prior arrangement between the client and the Identifications Botanist.