The botanical collections also include tissue samples and DNA extracts stored in frozen condition (ColdGene), and other dry-stored object collections. 

The botanical collections are traditionally organized by organism group; i.e. vascular plants, bryophytes, algae, fungi and lichens. In addition, there are the botanical collections of live plants at the museum's botanical garden.

As of January 2022, the botanical collections include about 550 000 objects.

Most of the specimens are collected in Central Norway. In addition, the vascular plant herbarium contains around 30 000 specimens from the rest of the world.
One of the oldest parts of the collection consist of the herbarium after bishop Gunnerus (1718-1773), which laid the foundation for the first national flora “Flora Norvegica” published by Gunnerus in 1766.

Another significant part of the collection is the Arctic collection from Alaska and Canada by Professor Olav Gjærevoll consisting of about 6 000 specimens.

Among the main bulk of specimens from central Norway the Dovrefjell Mountain region is especially well represented. You also find a focus on documentation of the expansion of non-native species in the flora especially by the collections by Eli Fremstad.
The collection includes more than100 type specimens.

Contact:
Curator of Vascular Plants: Associate professor Kristine Westergaard
Collection manager: Senior engineer Tommy Prestø

The collection is available at GBIF

The oldest specimens in the collection are by Hans Strøm from 1745. Collections from the late 1800s and early 1900s comprise the foundation of this collection, primarily through the work of Ingebrigt Severin Hagen collected bryophytes from 1880 until his death in 1917. There was also a peak in activity from 1970-1980 mainly due to the joint efforts of Arne A. Frisvoll and Kjell Ivar Flatberg. After 1998 the activity has again increased meaning that we have a relatively high proportion of recently collected specimens.

Taxonomically Bryophyta constitute about 75% and Marchantiophyta 25% of the collection, with Anthoceratophyta with less than 1%. These numbers roughly represent the species diversity of the main taxonomic groups at northern latitudes.

Sphagnum is particularly well represented with more than 25 000 specimens. Much of this is of rather recent date and a result of the taxonomic research by Kjell Ivar Flatberg.
Schistidium and Racomitrium are other well represented genera due to the taxonomic work of Hans H. Blom and Arne A. Frisvoll.

The collection includes more than 2000 type specimens of bryophytes. The types are photographed and pictures available at GBIF.
The top ten countries/areas are: Norway, Svalbard with Jan Mayen, Sweden, United States of America, Canada, Germany, Greenland, France, Iceland and the Russian Federation.
Svalbard is very well represented with about 20 000 occurrences, the main contributor to this material is Arne A. Frisvoll that visited Svalbard and Jan Mayen several times during the 1970s.

Important exsiccatae includes:

• Hepaticae Europaeae Exsiccatae, Victor F. Schiffner 
• Musci Alleghanienses, William S. Sullivant
• Musci Europaei Exsiccati, Ernst Bauer 
• Bryotheca Bohemica. Laub- und Lebermoose aus Böhmen in getrockneten Exemplaren, Bauer, Ernst
• Musci Frondosi Archipelagi Indici Exsiccati, Max Fleischer
• Bryotheca Europaea Meridionalis, Fleischer, M.; Warnstorf, C.F. 

Contact
Curator of Bryophytes: Professor Kristian Hassel
Collection manager: Senior engineer Tommy Prestø

The collection is available at GBIF.

The main part of the collection was established by Mikael H. Foslie (1855-1905). Foslie was an internationally recognized expert on coralline algae and received objects from colleagues and expeditions from all over the world. The coralline algae collection by Foslie is kept as a separate collection consisting of nearly 4000 specimens, including about 550 types. A catalogue of the collection was published in Gunneria in 2005. 

The other parts of the algae collection mainly consist of algae collected along the Norwegian coast.

In addition to the 550 types of coralline algae in the Foslie collection, we have 150 type specimens of other algae.

Important exsiccatae includes
Phycotheca Boreali-Americana. Collins, Holden & Setchell

Contact
Curator of Algae: Professor Kristian Hassel
Collection manager: Senior engineer Tommy Prestø

The algae collection is available through GBIF.

Most of the specimens are registered in the database. A significant part of the collection is from the period after 1980 and includes many interesting specimens from the boreal rainforest of Central Norway. 

Most specimens from outside Norway are from the Nordic countries. From other parts of the world the specimens from Africa collected by Ove A. Høeg are of special interest.

The genera Bryoria and Cladonia as well as pin lichens in a wide sense, i.e. genera like Calicium, Chaenotheca, Sclerophora etc are well represented in the collection.
About 200 type specimens are included in the collection.

Important exsiccatae includes
Cladoniae exsiccatae, Heinrich Sandstede
Lichenes selecti Scandinavici exsiccati. Adolf Hugo Magnusson

Contact
Curator of Lichens: Associate professor Håkon Holien
Collection manager: Senior engineer Tommy Prestø

The lichen collection is available through GBIF.

All specimens are registered in the database. Most of the material is from Central Norway, but Northern Norway is also well represented. The collection includes original material, type specimens, of several newly described species. Most fungal groups are represented, but ascomycetes, particularly discomycetes, are well represented.

From outside Norway the collection includes specimens from Argentina (Tierra del Fuego), Finland, Spain (Mallorca) and Sweden.

About 65 type specimens are included in the collection.

Contact
Curator of Lichens: Associate professor Håkon Holien
Collection manager: Senior engineer Tommy Prestø

The fungi collection is available through GBIF.