Purple Pitcher Plant
The purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) is a carnivorous plant found throughout…
Queer Love Lives in Hyacinth
The flowering period of hyacinth may have passed, but their celebration continues…
Rainbow of Plant Dyes
People have been dyeing their clothing with plants since ancient times. All around…
Reindeer Lichens
In this most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is naturally on…
Remembrances of Yours
There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies,that’s…
Resurrecting from the Dead
I remember coming across Selaginella lepidophylla while imaging herbarium specimens for the…
Rice and its Wild Relatives
Humans have been farming rice for approximately 10,000 years. The two major…
Richard Spruce
“Whenever rains, swollen streams, and grumbling Indians combined to overwhelm me with…
Riclef Grolle
Riclef Grolle (1934 – 2004) was among the most dedicated and knowledgeable…
Riverbank Grape
Riverbank grape (Vitis riparia) is a climbing vine native to North America…
Rooted in Plants: An Interview with Arvolyn Hill
Arvolyn Hill is the Family Programs Coordinator at the Everett Children’s Adventure…
Roses are Red, Sometimes Green, but Always the…
Roses are one of the world’s most beloved blooms, with millions of…
Royal Collector
Cabinet of CuriositiesCollectors
Prince Henri of Orléans, a French royal, collected this parasitic fungi in Tibet while…
Royal Symbols
Plants have been employed as royal symbols through time and across cultures.…
Salix loan to Japan
Botany is a collaborative science that relies on sharing data and specimens…
Sarah “Sadie” Frances Price
Sarah “Sadie” Frances Price (1849-1903) was one of Kentucky’s most esteemed botanical…
Season it with Leaves
Culinary herbs are plants with aromatic properties and that are used for…
Seeds go ballistic
Getting help is great, but sometimes you just have to do something…
Seuss-ian Specimens
While the illustrations in books by Dr. Seuss depict fanciful folliage, reality…
Sister Mary Clare Metz: Faith and Flora
While digitizing specimens for the Texas and Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria,…
Skunk Cabbage
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
A locally occuring arum in the northeast U.S., skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus…
Small but Mite-y: Plants and Their Mite Associates
Mites are an extremely diverse group of arachnids, related to spiders, ticks,…
Smooth rock tripe
This Umbilicaria species is regarded to be one of the largest lichens…
Snap shot of the Rock Garden, circa 1942
NYBG's Rock Garden in the spring is full of treasures that have been documented…
Some Algae of Nova Scotia
Although the bulk of specimens that find their way into the New…
Species that Work-from-Home
Like many of you, NYBG herbarium staff are currently working from home…
Spider Plant
The spider plant is in the genus Chlorophytum which contains almost 200 species, mostly originating…
Spiranthinae of Mexico!
The orchid family is so diverse, researchers find it helpful to give…
Springtime with Peter Zika
If seasonal allergies or the depths of winter have got you down,…
Stanhopea of Mexico!
Stanhopea are amongst the most impressive and beautiful of all orchids, with…
Sticky Rice
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
A couple of years ago I was asked by Michael Purugganan (Dean…
Studying the DNA of Herbarium Specimens
Molecular biologists study the DNA of plants. They use this data to identify…
Sugar Cane and the Tropical Traces of Empires
Take a moment and think about how easy is to get sweet…
Sugar Maple
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is a common tree in northeastern North American…
Sugar pine
Called "the most princely of the genus" by David Douglas, sugar pine…
Sundews
Sundews. Drosera is the largest genus of carniverous plants, with almost 200…
Surviving the Fires of Australia
Amid the tragedy of the Australian fires, the Wollemi Pine is a…
Sweetsop vs. Soursop: A Great Distinction
The Annonaceae family is the largest plant family within the Magnoliales. The…
The Ames–Britton Connection
Specimen StoriesWomen in Science
Blanche Ames Ames (February 18, 1878 – March 2, 1969) was not…
The Atomic Specimen
Working with specimens from New Mexico for the Southern Rocky Mountain Digitization…
The Azalea Garden
Always a destination for Mother's Day, the Azalea Garden is a spring…
The Biltmore Herbarium: Botany and America’s Largest Home
Biltmore, a Gilded Era mansion in Asheville, North Carolina, is America’s largest…