Skunk Cabbage
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
A locally occuring arum in the northeast U.S., skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus…
Philodendron
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
Greek: Philo- (love) dendron (tree) There are close to 500 species of…
Begonias
The genus Begonia contains over 1800 species. They are native to tropical…
Marantaceae, Arrowroot family
Marantaceae, the Arrowroot family, is thought to have originated in Africa, though much of…
Spider Plant
The spider plant is in the genus Chlorophytum which contains almost 200 species, mostly originating…
Air plants
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
The little air plant in your house that you mist every day could…
Corpse Flower
Another famous plant in the Araceae family is the Titan Arum or…
Fig family, Moraceae
Ficus carica L., the edible common fig has been cultivated for millenia.…
Mary Emily Eaton
Mary Emily Eaton was an accomplished natural history illustrator employed at the…
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…
The Lemmons: Partners in Botany
Sara Plummer met John Gill Lemmon in 1876 when he came to…
Augustine Henry
Augustine Henry was one of the first and most prolific western botanists to collect in Central China,…
Jeanne Baret
CollectorsWomen in ScienceExpeditions
Jeanne Baret was the first woman ever to circumnavigate the globe, but…
Frances W. Horne
Frances Horne was an academic, an artist and a botanist. She earned her…
The Cactaceae
The Cactaceae was a publication written by the founder of NYBG, Nathaniel Lord Britton…
Addisonia
Addisonia: Colored Illustrations and Popular Descriptions of Plants was a journal published by…
Fancy Foliage
Where did that sweet little potted plant sitting on your window sill…
#plantlove
Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…
David Hosack's Elgin Botanic Garden
Elgin Botanic Garden was the first public botanical garden in the United…
Otto Kuntze
Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze was a german botanist who made expeditions to every…
The Brittons: Partners in Life and Botany
The establishment of The New York Botanical Garden was the result of…
Ancient plant DNA
Using a NYBG herbarium specimen, PhD grad student Lizzie Joyce turned back…
John Torrey on Gray's Peak
In 1861 Charles Parry was the first explorer to ascend Gray's Peak…
John Torrey
John Torrey (1796-1873) is considered one of the most influential American botanists…
Carnivorous plants
Cabinet of CuriositiesFocus on Science
Watch out, these plants are hungry! Most carnivorous plants grow in bogs…
Fetid Flowers
With names like Stinking Benjamin, Corpse Flower, and Skunk Cabbage; these flowers…
Daffodils are blooming!
It's springtime and the daffodils are blooming outside! In the herbarium, these…
The Lilac Collection
The lilacs are blooming here at the Garden, gracing us with their…
Don't touch
Plants have evolved many ways to protect themselves, from growing barbs that…
The Azalea Garden
Always a destination for Mother's Day, the Azalea Garden is a spring…
Milestones
Since its inception NYBG has focused on building an extensive and valuable herbarium…
Plants of Sítio Roberto Burle Marx
Roberto Burle Marx was an artist, a landscape architect and an early…
View of Sítio Burle Marx
This Calathea species was collected by botanist Helen Kennedy in Roberto Burle…
Art Cronquist's Tree: Japanese Wingnut
Recently walking on the NYBG grounds on a lovely spring day just…
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
The beloved children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar is turning 50! See many of…
The Calabash in Capoeira Music
The Berimbau is the musical instrument played in capoeira. It consists of a…
July in the Native Plant Garden
The Native Plant Garden is looking lovely right now! Some plants that…
Dog Days of Summer: Good Dog!
Cabinet of CuriositiesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have a special place in our lives, as trusting companions and…
The Lackluster Major William Rich
Major William Rich was selected to be the botanist on the U. S.…
Where the Gold was First Discovered
Cabinet of CuriositiesExpeditions
Herbarium specimens have been collected at poignant points in history. Major William Rich was…
Floating Flowers
If you're staying cool this summer in your favorite swimming hole, here are…
Ghost Forests of the Mid-Atlantic
One of the most visually apparent impacts of climate change are the emerging…
Herbarium Specimens Show Changes in Carbon Dioxide Levels
It has been documented that since the industrial revolution there has been an…
Herbarium Specimens Show Changes in the Landscape
Changing climate means changing landscapes. Herbarium specimens document what plants are growing in…
Phenology and Herbarium Specimens
As habitats get warmer, a plant's life cycle can change. For example, when spring…
Climate Research and Herbarium Specimens
Climate research requires lots of data. Data about the conditions on earth now,…
Studying the DNA of Herbarium Specimens
Molecular biologists study the DNA of plants. They use this data to identify…
Botanical Lessons
Botany students must learn the structures of flowers in all their intricate variety.…
Mums the Word
With their vibrant purples, deep reds and bright yellows, Mums (or Chrysanthemums) are always…
Christmas Tree Species
Though most Christmas trees are in the pine family, Pinaceae, they are…
Surviving the Fires of Australia
Amid the tragedy of the Australian fires, the Wollemi Pine is a…
An Unrequited Botanical Love Story
The love of botany is responsible for both fostering and hindering this…
Jane Colden - America's First Female Botanist
Highly respected among her male peers in the 18th century, Jane Colden…
Snap shot of the Rock Garden, circa 1942
NYBG's Rock Garden in the spring is full of treasures that have been documented…