Lafayette Frederick - Fungal Systematist

Feb 2 2021

Lafayette Frederick (1923-2018) was exposed to plant diversity as a young child growing…


By Laura Briscoe

Typical: Christmas in the clouds

Dec 24 2019

Collectors

Bassett Maguire (1904–1991), a botanist who spent the majority of his career…


By Amy Weiss

Typical: Ceratozamia euryphyllidia, the largest type?

Oct 11 2019

Specimen Stories

Plant specimens come in all shapes and sizes, but they are usually…


By Matthew C. Pace

Typical: Gymnopilus pallidus

Jun 3 2019

Specimen Stories

Some characters are altered in the drying process used to create herbarium specimens.…


By Amy Weiss

The Biltmore Herbarium: Botany and America’s Largest Home

May 31 2019

ExpeditionsSpecimen Stories

Biltmore, a Gilded Era mansion in Asheville, North Carolina, is America’s largest…


By McKenna Coyle

Astragalus osterhoutii, Osterhout milkvetch

May 10 2019

Specimen Stories

Astragalus osterhoutii M. E. Jones (or Osterhout milkvetch) is an herbaceous plant known…


By Sarah Dutton

4 Millionth Specimen

Apr 22 2019

Specimen Stories

With 7,800,000 specimens in our herbarium, reaching 4,000,000 specimens catalogued in our…


By Laura Briscoe

Journey of the US Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)

Mar 18 2019

Expeditions

One of the earliest and most impactful scientific expeditions led by the…


By Charles J. Zimmerman

What is a type specimen?

Mar 6 2019

What's in a name?

When a researcher names a new species of algae, fungi, or plant,…


By Amy Weiss

Typical: Hibiscadelphus stellatus

Mar 5 2019

Specimen Stories

This type specimen is like a postcard from Hawaii reading "Wish you…


By Amy Weiss

Typical: Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae

Feb 27 2019

Specimen Stories

Covered in flower dissection illustrations by Rupert Barneby — we should all…


By Amy Weiss

George Washington Carver

Feb 5 2019

Collectors

George Washington Carver (1860s–1943) was an inventor, teacher, botanist, and mycologist (a…


By Amy Weiss