Air plants
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
The little air plant in your house that you mist every day could…
Giant puffball
This spectacular giant puffball can be found in meadows, fields and forests…
John Cage
Mostly remembered for his experimental music compositions, John Cage was also a…
Richard Spruce
“Whenever rains, swollen streams, and grumbling Indians combined to overwhelm me with…
Corpse Flower
Another famous plant in the Araceae family is the Titan Arum or…
Lavender
Lavender has been used in traditional medicine for centuries for its soothing…
Pertusaria andersoniae
Specimen StoriesWomen in Science
Some of our herbarium specimens are of incredibly rare species. This is…
Banded Mottlegill
This mushroom was called 'weed Panaeolus' because it would frequently grow as…
Christmas Lichen
Specimen StoriesCabinet of Curiosities
This bright-colored lichen is called the 'Christmas Lichen' because of its bright…
Some Algae of Nova Scotia
Although the bulk of specimens that find their way into the New…
Lettuce Lichen
Similar to the Old Man’s Beard, Lungwort lichens can only thrive in…
Madagascar periwinkle
Commonly known as Madagascar periwinkle, this member of the dogbane family has…
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver (1860s–1943) was an inventor, teacher, botanist, and mycologist (a…
Fig family, Moraceae
Ficus carica L., the edible common fig has been cultivated for millenia.…
Mary Treat
Those who have read Barbara Kingsolver's newest novel, Unsheltered, will be familiar with the…
Smooth rock tripe
This Umbilicaria species is regarded to be one of the largest lichens…
Women's Scientific Empowerment
Natural history was immensely popular in the Victorian era, but women were…
Typical: Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae
Covered in flower dissection illustrations by Rupert Barneby — we should all…
A trip to Fire Island with Peggy Hopkins
While we might not get to summer with the likes of Madonna…
Prairie White Fringed Orchid
Nearly all of the habitat of the endangered Prairie White Fringed Orchid…
Damaged by enemy action
Herbarium specimens are windows into the past and can help us answer…
Good grief, Charles Geyer
Charles (Karl) A. Geyer was a pioneer botanical collector of the Northwestern…
Typical: Hibiscadelphus stellatus
This type specimen is like a postcard from Hawaii reading "Wish you…
Royal Collector
Cabinet of CuriositiesCollectors
Prince Henri of Orléans, a French royal, collected this parasitic fungi in Tibet while…
Mary Emily Eaton
Mary Emily Eaton was an accomplished natural history illustrator employed at the…
What is a type specimen?
When a researcher names a new species of algae, fungi, or plant,…
Weird & Wild Legumes
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
Members of plant family Fabaceae (bean or legume family) produce a kind…
Plant species named after Alice Eastwood
Several botanists have honored Eastwood's contributions to science by naming new plant…
Art Cronquist's Hat
If you spend time looking at herbarium specimens collected by Arthur Cronquist,…
Venus flytrap
Even though Venus Fly Traps are widely available as cultivated plants, they…
Pitcher Plants
Pitcher Plants sometimes attract insects to their specialized leaves with nectar or…
Sundews
Sundews. Drosera is the largest genus of carniverous plants, with almost 200…
Journey of the US Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)
One of the earliest and most impactful scientific expeditions led by the…