Christmas Lichen
Specimen StoriesCabinet of Curiosities
This bright-colored lichen is called the 'Christmas Lichen' because of its bright…
Old Man's Beard
This lichen grows as an epiphyte on trees. They require clean air,…
Wolf lichen
The Wolf Lichen is one of the most showy North American lichens,…
Smooth rock tripe
This Umbilicaria species is regarded to be one of the largest lichens…
Discovering a Darwin Collection
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
In the museum world, there's a sort of joke that you never…
Pertusaria andersoniae
Specimen StoriesWomen in Science
Some of our herbarium specimens are of incredibly rare species. This is…
4 Millionth Specimen
With 7,800,000 specimens in our herbarium, reaching 4,000,000 specimens catalogued in our…
Dolly's Lichen
NYBG lichen curator James Lendemer and then-PhD student Jessi Allen named this…
Arthonia stevensoniana
Arthonia etymology unknown stevensoniana from Stevenson, honoring Robert Louis Stevenson, author of…
Witches!
Cabinet of CuriositiesWhat's in a name?
Don't be too scared by these witches - just some friendly plants…
Ellen's Types
Among many of the interesting things Ellen Hutchins collected were collections that…
Lettuce Lichen
Similar to the Old Man’s Beard, Lungwort lichens can only thrive in…
Gross
Sometimes collecting the perfect specimen means going places you'd rather not. Here…