Escapes from cultivation
Humans have a long history of moving and cultivating plant species. But…
Western Road Trip
In the summer of 1952, recently retired Wabash College¹ botany professor Albert…
Label Appreciation: Borders
Labels are as important to a herbarium specimen as the plant, alga, or…
Traveling Plants
While plants can’t walk, they can definitely travel. Plants have evolved a…
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver (1860s–1943) was an inventor, teacher, botanist, and mycologist (a…
Brown and Beautiful
Whether naturally brown, or turning brown during the preservation steps needed to create herbarium…
Western Road Trip: Crater Lake
It might be hard to believe the Bechtels could take their eyes…
Women in Genera
What's in a name?Women in Science
For as long as we've been using binomial nomenclature to name species,…
Dog Days of Summer: Bad Dog!
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have not always been the beloved companions and family members they…
Indicators of past settlement
Humans alter the environments where they live and we can use those…
Palm Patterns
Creating specimens of palms pose a challenge to collectors—how best to trim, arrange,…
Fruits of Rosaceae
Flowering plants differ from all other plants by producing seeds within fruits;…
Polka-dot Ferns
Unlike flowering plants, ferns reproduce with spores instead of seeds. Fern spores…
Modern Art
Herbarium specimens play an important part in plant science research. But the specimens themselves can…
Draw and Create Specimen Challenge
Herbarium specimens are an important piece of a larger puzzle; helping people…
People for Scale
A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes it's easier to…
Women's Scientific Empowerment
Natural history was immensely popular in the Victorian era, but women were…
Good grief, Charles Geyer
Charles (Karl) A. Geyer was a pioneer botanical collector of the Northwestern…
Confetti
No party is complete without confetti—especially when ringing in the new year.…
Autumnal
Grab a warm beverage and your favorite sweater—the colors on these specimens evoke…
Springtime with Peter Zika
If seasonal allergies or the depths of winter have got you down,…
It's not easy being green
People might pass over these green specimens 'cause they're not standing out…
Aquatic Hitchhikers
Although all plants need some water to grow, aquatic plants have adapted…
Chock-full of chromosomes
Cabinet of CuriositiesFocus on Science
Behold this fern which has the highest recorded chromosome number of any living…
Season it with Leaves
Culinary herbs are plants with aromatic properties and that are used for…
Seuss-ian Specimens
While the illustrations in books by Dr. Seuss depict fanciful folliage, reality…
The Lemmons: Partners in Botany
Sara Plummer met John Gill Lemmon in 1876 when he came to…
Myanmar Mystery Solved
Working in a Herbarium sometimes requires detective work. This Myanmar mystery started…
Be All My Sins Remembered
Up until this point, Ophelia has lived a rather charmed life –…
Ophelia’s Flowers
Shakespeare never visited the crown prince Hamlet’s home on the east coast of…
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…
Koʻoloaʻula
This Federally Endangered Hibiscus relative with bright red flowers is endemic to…
Typical: Ceratozamia euryphyllidia, the largest type?
Plant specimens come in all shapes and sizes, but they are usually…