Celebrating Cryptogamic Botanists from Latin America
The Caribbean, Central America, and South America have long been geographical focal…
Celebrating Pride with Flowers
As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots during…
Chicita Culberson
In early March of this year Chicita Culberson, whose work has been…
Chock-full of chromosomes
Cabinet of CuriositiesFocus on Science
Behold this fern which has the highest recorded chromosome number of any living…
Christmas Lichen
Specimen StoriesCabinet of Curiosities
This bright-colored lichen is called the 'Christmas Lichen' because of its bright…
Christmas Tree Species
Though most Christmas trees are in the pine family, Pinaceae, they are…
Clara Eaton Cummings
Clara E. Cummings (1855-1906) was a cryptogamic botanist who focused primarily on…
Climate Change & Alpine Retreat
Temperature and moisture availability are factors which influence the distribution patterns of…
Climate Research and Herbarium Specimens
Climate research requires lots of data. Data about the conditions on earth now,…
Confetti
No party is complete without confetti—especially when ringing in the new year.…
Conifers and Mistletoes
Evergreen trees and mistletoe both come to mind when we decorate with holiday…
Corpse Flower
Another famous plant in the Araceae family is the Titan Arum or…
Creepy Cultivars
The word "cultivar" is a blend of the words "cultivated" and "variety".…
Cultivation and Ecology of Dates
The date palm requires ample sunlight, high temperatures (though it can survive…
Curious Indigo
Indigo: a profound shade of blue sourced from nature’s color palette; A…
Cyanolichens
In this collection are some cyanolichens from the NYBG cryptogamic herbarium, some…
Daffodils are blooming!
It's springtime and the daffodils are blooming outside! In the herbarium, these…
Damaged by enemy action
Herbarium specimens are windows into the past and can help us answer…
Dancing Lady Orchids Take Center Stage
Dancing Lady Orchid is the collective common name for the orchid genus…
Date Syrup Jallab
There are many recipes featuring dates and their byproducts across many cultures,…
David Hosack's Elgin Botanic Garden
Elgin Botanic Garden was the first public botanical garden in the United…
Dendrobium
With over 1,800 know species, Dendrobium is one of the 10 most…
Discovering a Darwin Collection
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
In the museum world, there's a sort of joke that you never…
Dog Days of Summer: Bad Dog!
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have not always been the beloved companions and family members they…
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…
Dolly's Lichen
NYBG lichen curator James Lendemer and then-PhD student Jessi Allen named this…
Don't touch
Plants have evolved many ways to protect themselves, from growing barbs that…
Dr. Héctor S. Osorio (1928-2016)
Dr. Héctor Saul Osorio, born in 1928 in Montevideo, was a Uruguayan…
Dr. Juan Larraín (1979-)
Juan Larraín is a self-taught bryologist who focuses on bryophyte diversity in…
Dra. Gabriela G. Hässel de Menéndez (1927-2009)
Dra. Gabriela Gustava Hässel de Menéndez’s scientific career spanned almost sixty years…
Dra. Laura Guzmán-Dávalos (1961-)
Laura Guzmán-Dávalos’ explorations into the world of fungi are vast and far-reaching,…
Dra. Lidia Itatí Ferraro (1951-)
Dr. Lidia Itatí Ferraro, born in 1951, is an accomplished Argentine lichenologist.…
Dra. Noris Salazar-Allen (1947-)
Noris Salazar-Allen, acclaimed researcher and bryologist, studies the group of non-vascular plants…
Draw and Create Specimen Challenge
Herbarium specimens are an important piece of a larger puzzle; helping people…
Duck dispersal
As more land is developed, plants have an increasingly difficult task of…
Eggplant
The eggplant, also known as aubergine (Solanum melongena), has no official date…
Eight Days of Oil
Oil has a special significance for those who celebrate Hanukkah. This Jewish…
El Yunque
Set foot in El Yunque, the beautiful tropical rain forest in eastern Puerto…
Elizabeth Britton and the Curly-Grass Fern
Specimen StoriesWomen in Science
Tucked away in an office drawer of NYBG’s Fern Curator, Robbin Moran,…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Childhood in Cuba
Elizabeth Knight Britton’s grandfather James Knight owned a sugar plantation and a…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Early Career
Elizabeth Knight Britton went on to complete her schooling at the Normal…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Expeditions and Honors
When the Garden began a series of expeditions to the Caribbean during…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Legacy in Cuba
Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton’s career as a bryologist and her central role…
Elke Mackenzie (I.M. Lamb)
The work and dedication of Elke Mackenzie (1911-1990) is critical to our…
Ellen Hutchins - Ireland's First Female Botanist
Between 1805 and 1813, in Ballylickey on the shores of Bantry Bay,…
Ellen's Algae
See more of Ellen Hutchin's beautifully detailed marine algae collections.
Ellen's Illustrations
We know Ellen Hutchins produced hundreds of detailed watercolors of marine algae. Some…
Ellen's Types
Among many of the interesting things Ellen Hutchins collected were collections that…
Escapes from cultivation
Humans have a long history of moving and cultivating plant species. But…
Ethel Zoe Bailey
Women in ScienceFocus on Science
Ethel Zoe Bailey (1889–1983), was the first curator of the Bailey Hortorium…
Ethnobotanical Uses of Dates
Although eating the fruit may be the most well-known use of the…
Exploring the Bahamas with Lewis Jones Knight Brace
The Bahamas suffered its worst natural disaster recently as Hurricane Dorian, a…
Exploring the Conservation Status of Jamaican Root Tonic…
Jamaican root tonics are fermented beverages composed of roots, bark, and other…
Extraordinary Oak Leaves
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
Oak trees are a familiar sight to people all around the world,…
Extreme Alpine Plants
Cabinet of CuriositiesExpeditions
Few places on the land's surface present weather conditions that are more…
Fabian Michelangeli's field trip to Cuba, November 2013
A recent expedition to eastern Cuba took three Cuban colleagues and me…
Fancy Foliage
Where did that sweet little potted plant sitting on your window sill…
Fetid Flowers
With names like Stinking Benjamin, Corpse Flower, and Skunk Cabbage; these flowers…
Fig family, Moraceae
Ficus carica L., the edible common fig has been cultivated for millenia.…
Fire Island: Preserving a Unique Ecological & Cultural…
On a geological time scale, barrier islands are by definition impermanent, ever-changing,…
Firewood and pathogens
As plants travel the world with people, these plants can bring along…
Floating Flowers
If you're staying cool this summer in your favorite swimming hole, here are…
Flora Borinqueña
In February 1906, Nathaniel and Elizabeth Britton, founders of The New York…
Floral Fireworks
When fireworks are needed, no matter the reason, these herbarium specimens will help…
Follow a 1910 Botanical Expedition through Western Cuba
The United States entered the Spanish American War in April of 1898.…