4 Millionth Specimen
With 7,800,000 specimens in our herbarium, reaching 4,000,000 specimens catalogued in our…
#plantlove
Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…
Alpine Adaptation: Solid As A Rock
Lichens are the primary colonizers of new habitat in alpine regions. Unlike…
Arthonia stevensoniana
Arthonia etymology unknown stevensoniana from Stevenson, honoring Robert Louis Stevenson, author of…
Ascension Island: Volcanoes, Castaways, and Darwin’s Manmade Forest
One million years ago, a volcano broke the surface in the middle…
Bean-boozled
Cosmopolitan has a long-standing journalistic reputation for getting straight to the heart…
Biocrusts in Disturbed Areas
Our crusty companions play many imperative restoration roles in disturbed habitats, as…
Biocrusts of Cold Drylands
The default image that comes to mind when thinking of deserts is…
Biocrusts of Hot Drylands
Hot deserts are found on all continents except Antarctica and Europe. In…
Caroline Coventry Haynes
Caroline Coventry Haynes (1858-1951) is best known for her significant contributions to…
Celebrating Cryptogamic Botanists from Latin America
The Caribbean, Central America, and South America have long been geographical focal…
Chicita Culberson
In early March of this year Chicita Culberson, whose work has been…
Christmas Lichen
Specimen StoriesCabinet of Curiosities
This bright-colored lichen is called the 'Christmas Lichen' because of its bright…
Clara Eaton Cummings
Clara E. Cummings (1855-1906) was a cryptogamic botanist who focused primarily on…
Cyanolichens
In this collection are some cyanolichens from the NYBG cryptogamic herbarium, some…
Discovering a Darwin Collection
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
In the museum world, there's a sort of joke that you never…
Dolly's Lichen
NYBG lichen curator James Lendemer and then-PhD student Jessi Allen named this…
Dr. Héctor S. Osorio (1928-2016)
Dr. Héctor Saul Osorio, born in 1928 in Montevideo, was a Uruguayan…
Dr. Juan Larraín (1979-)
Juan Larraín is a self-taught bryologist who focuses on bryophyte diversity in…
Dra. Gabriela G. Hässel de Menéndez (1927-2009)
Dra. Gabriela Gustava Hässel de Menéndez’s scientific career spanned almost sixty years…
Dra. Laura Guzmán-Dávalos (1961-)
Laura Guzmán-Dávalos’ explorations into the world of fungi are vast and far-reaching,…
Dra. Lidia Itatí Ferraro (1951-)
Dr. Lidia Itatí Ferraro, born in 1951, is an accomplished Argentine lichenologist.…
Dra. Noris Salazar-Allen (1947-)
Noris Salazar-Allen, acclaimed researcher and bryologist, studies the group of non-vascular plants…
Elke Mackenzie (I.M. Lamb)
The work and dedication of Elke Mackenzie (1911-1990) is critical to our…
Ellen's Types
Among many of the interesting things Ellen Hutchins collected were collections that…
Gross
Sometimes collecting the perfect specimen means going places you'd rather not. Here…
Lettuce Lichen
Similar to the Old Man’s Beard, Lungwort lichens can only thrive in…
Lichenicolous Fungi
Composed of different species each playing a different role, a lichen can…
Muhlenberg's Smile
Almost everyone can name an endangered charismatic megafauna. But most would be…
NYBG 2021 New Species Review!
Every year, botanists describe hundreds of new plant, fungal, and lichen species from…
NYBG 2022 New Species Review!
Every year, botanists describe hundreds of new plant, algal, fungal, and lichen…
NYBG 2023 New Species Review!
Every year, botanists describe hundreds of new plants, algae, fungi, and lichens…
Old Man's Beard
This lichen grows as an epiphyte on trees. They require clean air,…
Old Man's Beard: A Medicinal Lichen
Usnea is a genus of lichen, commonly known as Old Man’s Beard. …
Pertusaria andersoniae
Specimen StoriesWomen in Science
Some of our herbarium specimens are of incredibly rare species. This is…
Reindeer Lichens
In this most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is naturally on…
Riclef Grolle
Riclef Grolle (1934 – 2004) was among the most dedicated and knowledgeable…
Seuss-ian Specimens
While the illustrations in books by Dr. Seuss depict fanciful folliage, reality…
Smooth rock tripe
This Umbilicaria species is regarded to be one of the largest lichens…
Species that Work-from-Home
Like many of you, NYBG herbarium staff are currently working from home…
The LGBTQ+ Legacy of NYBG: Out of the…
Herbarium specimens are kept in metal cabinets to protect them from damage.…
Trust in the Crust
earth /ˈərth/noun1) the planet on which we live; the world2) the substance…
Understanding Interactions: Taking Botany Out of Isolation
For centuries we have viewed plants and fungi in isolation. Tried to…
Witches!
Cabinet of CuriositiesWhat's in a name?
Don't be too scared by these witches - just some friendly plants…
Wolf lichen
The Wolf Lichen is one of the most showy North American lichens,…
Women in Cryptogamic Botany
As scientific perspectives of the Enlightenment movement fostered enthusiasm surrounding the acquisition…
Women in Genera
What's in a name?Women in Science
For as long as we've been using binomial nomenclature to name species,…