Truffle
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
Truffles are fruiting bodies of Tuber fungi that grow underground. The fungi…
Giant puffball
This spectacular giant puffball can be found in meadows, fields and forests…
Banded Mottlegill
This mushroom was called 'weed Panaeolus' because it would frequently grow as…
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver (1860s–1943) was an inventor, teacher, botanist, and mycologist (a…
W. A. Murrill
William Murrill became an assistant curator at NYBG in 1904, and was…
Mushroom Paintings
When mycologists collect mushrooms or other fungal fruiting bodies, it's important to…
Violetta White
Violetta Susan Elizabeth White Delafield (1875–1949) was a promising young mycologist at the…
Gross
Sometimes collecting the perfect specimen means going places you'd rather not. Here…
Insect Zombies
Cordyceps are parasitic fungi that often parasitize insects in a way that…
Typical: Double type
A herbarium's version of a double rainbow — a double type specimen.…
#plantlove
Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…
J. K. Small's exploration in Southern Florida, 1915
John Kunkel Small, botanist and herbarium curator at the the New York Botanical…
Typical: Gymnopilus pallidus
Some characters are altered in the drying process used to create herbarium specimens.…
Dog Days of Summer: Good Dog!
Cabinet of CuriositiesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have a special place in our lives, as trusting companions and…
Dog Days of Summer: Bad Dog!
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have not always been the beloved companions and family members they…
Autumnal
Grab a warm beverage and your favorite sweater—the colors on these specimens evoke…
Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of living organisms to remove contamination from the…
Firewood and pathogens
As plants travel the world with people, these plants can bring along…
Witches!
Cabinet of CuriositiesWhat's in a name?
Don't be too scared by these witches - just some friendly plants…
Fungi of Australia
As the continent of Australia continues to burn, scientists wonder what these…
Octopodotus stupendus
Octopodotus from octopus and the Greek suffix–otus, indicating resemblance, because of the…
Brown and Beautiful
Whether naturally brown, or turning brown during the preservation steps needed to create herbarium…
Thomas Gaither - Activist and Biologist
Dr. Thomas Walter Gaither (1938 - ) was born in Great Falls, South…
Gertrude Simmons Burlingham
Gertrude Simmons Burlingham (1872-1952) was an American mycologist who specialized in the…
Women in Cryptogamic Botany
As scientific perspectives of the Enlightenment movement fostered enthusiasm surrounding the acquisition…
Elke Mackenzie (I.M. Lamb)
The work and dedication of Elke Mackenzie (1911-1990) is critical to our…
Bigelow's mushroom photographs
In the herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden there are over 30,000…
Lichenicolous Fungi
Composed of different species each playing a different role, a lichen can…
Celebrating Cryptogamic Botanists from Latin America
The Caribbean, Central America, and South America have long been geographical focal…
Dra. Laura Guzmán-Dávalos (1961-)
Laura Guzmán-Dávalos’ explorations into the world of fungi are vast and far-reaching,…