Mystery Tree of Rondônia
In September 2019 I went to Rondônia state in Brazil in the…
Traditional Medicine: Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia L. is a plant species that is used in the…
Thomas Gaither - Activist and Biologist
Dr. Thomas Walter Gaither (1938 - ) was born in Great Falls, South…
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…
Giant puffball
This spectacular giant puffball can be found in meadows, fields and forests…
Discovering a Darwin Collection
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
In the museum world, there's a sort of joke that you never…
Mushroom Paintings
When mycologists collect mushrooms or other fungal fruiting bodies, it's important to…
Jean Baptiste François Bulliard
Jean Baptiste François Bulliard was French physician and botanist, especially interested in fungi.…
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…
John Cage
Mostly remembered for his experimental music compositions, John Cage was also a…
Royal Collector
Cabinet of CuriositiesCollectors
Prince Henri of Orléans, a French royal, collected this parasitic fungi in Tibet while…
Lace Algae
Many of the red algae are incredibly delicate and beautiful, as exemplified…
Dolly's Lichen
NYBG lichen curator James Lendemer and then-PhD student Jessi Allen named this…