Lavender
Lavender has been used in traditional medicine for centuries for its soothing…
Learning from Extinct Plants
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
From the woolly mammoth to the passenger pigeon, many extinct species owe…
Leaves of three, let it be!
If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you surely have heard the age-old…
Lettuce Lichen
Similar to the Old Man’s Beard, Lungwort lichens can only thrive in…
Lichenicolous Fungi
Composed of different species each playing a different role, a lichen can…
Life in Slot Canyons
Cabinet of CuriositiesExpeditions
Slot canyons are deep channels eroded into rock. They are often ten…
Love Potions & Charms
Love potions and charms are mentioned countless times throughout literature; from ancient…
Madagascar periwinkle
Commonly known as Madagascar periwinkle, this member of the dogbane family has…
Maize & Teosinte
Maize (Zea mays), or corn, is a domesticated cereal crop native to…
Marantaceae, Arrowroot family
Marantaceae, the Arrowroot family, is thought to have originated in Africa, though much of…
Mary Agnes Chase: Mentor, Activist, Botanist
Mary Agnes Chase was a self educated, determined, and influential botanist. Early…
Mary Emily Eaton
Mary Emily Eaton was an accomplished natural history illustrator employed at the…
Mary Treat
Those who have read Barbara Kingsolver's newest novel, Unsheltered, will be familiar with the…
Meet Spiranthes bightensis: A New Orchid in Our…
Focus on ScienceSpecimen Stories
Botanists have probably described and named 99% of the plants native to…
Milestones
Since its inception NYBG has focused on building an extensive and valuable herbarium…
Miltonia
Miltonia consists of 20 naturally occuring species and hybrids that are entirely…
Modern Art
Herbarium specimens play an important part in plant science research. But the specimens themselves can…
Most Vibrant
Cabinet of CuriositiesWorks of Art
If we were to give yearbook superlatives to herbarium specimens, these would…
Muhlenberg's Smile
Almost everyone can name an endangered charismatic megafauna. But most would be…
Mulled Cider
Put these fruits, seeds, bark, and flower buds together to get mulled…
Mums the Word
With their vibrant purples, deep reds and bright yellows, Mums (or Chrysanthemums) are always…
Mushroom Paintings
When mycologists collect mushrooms or other fungal fruiting bodies, it's important to…
Myanmar Mystery Solved
Working in a Herbarium sometimes requires detective work. This Myanmar mystery started…
Mystery Tree of Rondônia
In September 2019 I went to Rondônia state in Brazil in the…
NAACP member J. E. Spingarn and the Clematis…
Joel Elias Spingarn (May 17, 1875 - July 26, 1939) was a…
Naming the Rainbow
Botany uses Latin to describe and name plants, including the Latin words…
Naming the Rainbow: Aurantiaco / Orange
Alas, the Latin name of the sweet orange that makes orange juice…
Naming the Rainbow: Caeruleum / Blue
The rarest color in nature, caeruleum (Latin for blue), usually indicates a…
Naming the Rainbow: Coccineum / Scarlet
A close cousin of the color rubrum, coccineum (Latin for scarlet) is…
Naming the Rainbow: Flavum / Yellow
Flavum (Latin for yellow) is often used to indicate yellow flowers, hairs, or…
Naming the Rainbow: Indicum / Indigo
Indigo, the dark bluish-purple color of blue jeans, is a natural dye…
Naming the Rainbow: Purpurea / Purple
The deep color purpura, Latin for purple, is commonly used to indicate…
Naming the Rainbow: Rubrum / Red
Rubrum, Latin for red, is often used to indicate firey red flowers…
Naming the Rainbow: Viola / Violet
In an etymological twist, the color violet takes its name from the violet…
Naming the Rainbow: Viridis / Green
Most plants are green, but only a select few have viridis (Latin…