Treeline Expansion
The absence of trees at high-elevations both defines Alpine zones and is…
"Citizen Scientists" Support Alpine Research!
Increases in temperature and changes to the availability of moisture and snow…
Alpine Adaptation: Dig-Down & Stand Your Ground
Extreme conditions at high-elevations tend to impede the establishment of annual plants…
Alpine Refugia
Mountaintops have served as unlikely shelter for populations of cold-adapted species throughout…
Alpine Adaptation: Hold Tight & Take It Slow
These prototypical "cushion plants" are extreme alpine specialists. Short and dense branching…
Extreme Alpine Plants
Cabinet of CuriositiesExpeditions
Few places on the land's surface present weather conditions that are more…
Fragile Alpine Ecosystems
Relatively few organisms are sufficiently adapted to the harsh conditions of Alpine…
Alpine Adaptation: Duck and Cover
Leaves and flowering stems flattened to the ground and outwardly spreading from…
Alpine Adaptation: Solid As A Rock
Lichens are the primary colonizers of new habitat in alpine regions. Unlike…
Journey of the US Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)
One of the earliest and most impactful scientific expeditions led by the…
Old Man's Beard: A Medicinal Lichen
Usnea is a genus of lichen, commonly known as Old Man’s Beard. …
Leaves of three, let it be!
If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you surely have heard the age-old…
Okra’s journey to the United States
Many culinary delights that Americans enjoy today, especially in the Southern United…
Vampires Among Us: The Ghost Pipe Plant
Did you know that some plants lack chlorophyll? Often confused for a…
Wild Cinnamon
Although not related to true cinnamon, Cinnamodendron corticosum is a similar spice tree.…
Exploring the Conservation Status of Jamaican Root Tonic…
Jamaican root tonics are fermented beverages composed of roots, bark, and other…
Typical: Gymnopilus pallidus
Some characters are altered in the drying process used to create herbarium specimens.…
Attractive Frances Baker
This specimen arrived as part of an exchange from another herbarium, wrapped…
Typical: Double type
A herbarium's version of a double rainbow — a double type specimen.…
Newspaper time capsule: B. Maguire 23559
A trip to the field isn't always necessary to describe a new…
Damaged by enemy action
Herbarium specimens are windows into the past and can help us answer…
Typical: Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae
Covered in flower dissection illustrations by Rupert Barneby — we should all…