"Citizen Scientists" Support Alpine Research!
Increases in temperature and changes to the availability of moisture and snow…
#plantlove
Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…
A Botanical Tour of Harlem
The New York City neighborhood of Harlem is a center for Black…
A botanist's best friend
Botanists and dogs make good companions in the field. Dogs provide companionship, warn…
A trip to Fire Island with Peggy Hopkins
While we might not get to summer with the likes of Madonna…
A Vanilla Voyage: Exploring the Spice's Legacy in…
Vanilla planifolia, commonly known as vanilla, is one of the most instantly…
A World of Botanical Illustrations: Japanese plants referenced…
For decades, Studio Ghibli Inc. has been revered as one of the…
Air plants
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
The little air plant in your house that you mist every day could…
Aloe: The Plant of Many Wonders
Aloe vera is one of the over 300 species of Aloe belonging…
Alpine Adaptation: Dig-Down & Stand Your Ground
Extreme conditions at high-elevations tend to impede the establishment of annual plants…
Alpine Adaptation: Duck and Cover
Leaves and flowering stems flattened to the ground and outwardly spreading from…
Alpine Adaptation: Hold Tight & Take It Slow
These prototypical "cushion plants" are extreme alpine specialists. Short and dense branching…
Aquatic Hitchhikers
Although all plants need some water to grow, aquatic plants have adapted…
Astragalus osterhoutii, Osterhout milkvetch
Astragalus osterhoutii M. E. Jones (or Osterhout milkvetch) is an herbaceous plant known…
Attractive Frances Baker
This specimen arrived as part of an exchange from another herbarium, wrapped…
Autumnal
Grab a warm beverage and your favorite sweater—the colors on these specimens evoke…
Ballast Plants
Ships transporting cargo and passengers use ballast to stabilize the ship at…
Be All My Sins Remembered
Up until this point, Ophelia has lived a rather charmed life –…
Becoming a mountain woman
Marie Mooar spent a lot of time in the wilds of western…
Begonias
The genus Begonia contains over 1800 species. They are native to tropical…
Being Loved To Death – A Third of…
As the many plants to be digitized in the Endless Forms project,…
Beware! Stranglers on the Loose!
Focus on ScienceCabinet of Curiosities
Meet the genus Cuscuta, or as I like to refer to them,…
Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of living organisms to remove contamination from the…
Black Pepper: King of Spices
It’s hard to imagine entering a diner, sitting down on the shiny…
Botanical Lessons
Botany students must learn the structures of flowers in all their intricate variety.…
Botanical Ragtime
Artists find inspiration from an infinite number of sources, and many artists…
Botany & Birds: Taking Flight
The exhibition on now at The New York Botanical Garden, is the work of…
Brown and Beautiful
Whether naturally brown, or turning brown during the preservation steps needed to create herbarium…
Carnivorous plants
Cabinet of CuriositiesFocus on Science
Watch out, these plants are hungry! Most carnivorous plants grow in bogs…
Catnip: A Felicitous Herb
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
Calling all cat lovers! As I was digitizing plants for the Southern…
Cattleya
Cattleya is a genus of 129 tropcial American orchids distributed from Costa…
Celebrating Pride with Flowers
As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots during…
Christmas Tree Species
Though most Christmas trees are in the pine family, Pinaceae, they are…
Confetti
No party is complete without confetti—especially when ringing in the new year.…
Conifers and Mistletoes
Evergreen trees and mistletoe both come to mind when we decorate with holiday…
Corpse Flower
Another famous plant in the Araceae family is the Titan Arum or…
Cultivation and Ecology of Dates
The date palm requires ample sunlight, high temperatures (though it can survive…
Curious Indigo
Indigo: a profound shade of blue sourced from nature’s color palette; A…
Daffodils are blooming!
It's springtime and the daffodils are blooming outside! In the herbarium, these…
Dancing Lady Orchids Take Center Stage
Dancing Lady Orchid is the collective common name for the orchid genus…
Date Syrup Jallab
There are many recipes featuring dates and their byproducts across many cultures,…
David Hosack's Elgin Botanic Garden
Elgin Botanic Garden was the first public botanical garden in the United…
Dendrobium
With over 1,800 know species, Dendrobium is one of the 10 most…
Dog Days of Summer: Bad Dog!
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have not always been the beloved companions and family members they…
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…
Don't touch
Plants have evolved many ways to protect themselves, from growing barbs that…
Duck dispersal
As more land is developed, plants have an increasingly difficult task of…
Eight Days of Oil
Oil has a special significance for those who celebrate Hanukkah. This Jewish…
El Yunque
Set foot in El Yunque, the beautiful tropical rain forest in eastern Puerto…
Epidendrum of Mexico!
Epidendrum is one of the largest of all plant genera in addition to…
Escapes from cultivation
Humans have a long history of moving and cultivating plant species. But…
Ethel Zoe Bailey
Women in ScienceFocus on Science
Ethel Zoe Bailey (1889–1983), was the first curator of the Bailey Hortorium…
Ethnobotanical Uses of Dates
Although eating the fruit may be the most well-known use of the…
Extraordinary Oak Leaves
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
Oak trees are a familiar sight to people all around the world,…
Extreme Alpine Plants
Cabinet of CuriositiesExpeditions
Few places on the land's surface present weather conditions that are more…
Fabian Michelangeli's field trip to Cuba, November 2013
A recent expedition to eastern Cuba took three Cuban colleagues and me…
Fancy Foliage
Where did that sweet little potted plant sitting on your window sill…
Fig family, Moraceae
Ficus carica L., the edible common fig has been cultivated for millenia.…
Fire Island: Preserving a Unique Ecological & Cultural…
On a geological time scale, barrier islands are by definition impermanent, ever-changing,…
Firewood and pathogens
As plants travel the world with people, these plants can bring along…
Floating Flowers
If you're staying cool this summer in your favorite swimming hole, here are…
Floral Fireworks
When fireworks are needed, no matter the reason, these herbarium specimens will help…
From 1920’s adventure narrative to new species –…
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
The amount of time between when a species is first collected and…