The William and Lynda Steere Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden
Bronx, NY 10458-5126
United States
Barbara M. Thiers
Email: bthiers@nybg.org
The William and Lynda Steere Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden is the largest in the Western Hemisphere, with approximately 7.2 million specimens. Established in 1895, the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium contains vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi, lichens, and algae from around the world, with an emphasis on collections from the Americas. The Herbarium grows at a rate of 30 000-50 000 specimens per year. Specimens are acquired through staff expeditions, exchange programs, gifts, and purchases. In an average year, visiting scientists spend 1200 person-days using the collection. Loans of specimens to scientists at other institutions number 30 000-50 000 per year.
Digitised specimen data for approximately 800 000 specimens are presented online through the Garden's Virtual Herbarium. At present, there are 14 active cataloguing projects contributing 40 000-60 000 new specimen catalogue records each year. Among the major cataloguing projects already completed are type specimens and images of flowering plants (approximately 100 000 specimens and images), the bryophytes of North America (approximately 300 000 specimens), and the vascular plants of eastern Brazil (approximately 200 000 specimens). The Virtual Herbarium also includes Index Herbariorum, a directory of the world's herbaria, and the Index to American Botanical Literature, a bibliography for the plants and fungi of the New World.
Materials of Special Interest
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Incorporated Herbaria:
Barnard College (1901)-18 000 specimens;
Columbia University (1895)-600 000 specimens;
Columbia College of Pharmacy (1945);
Princeton University (1945)-48 000 specimens;
Stanford University (1968)-4580 specimens of bryophytes from the Arctic, as well as New York specimens;
University of Kansas (1969)-4402 specimens of bryophytes;
Florida State University (1973)-8158 specimens of bryophytes;
Torrey Botanical Club (1973)-100 000 specimens;
Carnegie Museum (1981)-41 900 specimens of fungi and algae;
Ecological Herbarium, American Museum of Natural History (1982)-632 specimens;
University of Utah (1982)-6 479 specimens of fungi;
Wesleyan University (1982)-10 700 specimens;
Hamilton College (1983)-6200 specimens;
Hobart and William Smith Colleges (1983)-3470 specimens;
De Pauw University (1987)-127 119 specimens;
Wabash College (1987)-17 442 specimens;
Wellesley College (1988)-63 464 specimens;
University of Massachusetts (1989)-30 632 specimens of fungi;
State University of New York at Brockport (1989)-tropical specimens;
University of Texas (1990)-1116 specimens of fungi;
Cotton Branch, Agricultural Research Service, College Station, Texas (1993)-19 918 specimens;
Gettysburg College (1993)-555 historical specimens;
University of Rhode Island (1995)-211 specimens of fungi;
Herb Society of America, New York Unit (1996)-516 specimens;
Mianus River Gorge Preserve (1996)-246 specimens;
Kansas State University (1997)-17 000 specimens of fungi;
Tulane University (2000)-10 000 specimens of fungi;
California Academy of Sciences (2002)-approximately 2000 specimens of fungi.
- Geographic Areas Particularly Well Represented: North America (especially eastern United States, Intermountain Region, Alaska, California); West Indies (especially Greater Antilles); South America (especially Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana Highlands, Andean Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela).
- Taxonomic Groups Particularly Well Represented (with emphasis in New World species, unless otherwise noted):
- Vascular Plants: Anacardiaceae, Asteraceae, Burseraceae, Cactaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Campanulaceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Clusiaceae, Connaraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Cuscutaceae (worldwide), Cycadales (worldwide), Cyperaceae (worldwide), Eriocaulaceae, Dichapetalaceae, Ericaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lauraceae, Lecythidaceae, Loganiaceae, Malpighiaceae, Malvaceae (worldwide), Melastomataceae, Menispermaceae, Mimosaceae, Palmae, Pinales, Piperaceae (worldwide), Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Pteridophytes, Rapateaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Salicaceae, Sapotaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Simaroubaceae, Solanaceae, Verbenaceae (worldwide), Vochysiaceae.
- Bryophytes: Hepatics: Lejeuneaceae, Porellaceae, Ricciaceae. Mosses: Calymperaceae, Fontinalaceae Orthotrichaceae, Sematophyllaceae.
- Fungi: Aphyllophorales, Agaricales , Discomycetes, Gasteromycetes, Myxomycetes, Pyrenomycetes, Uredinales.
- Lichens: Trypetheliaceae (worldwide).
- Algae: Charophyceae(worldwide); Coralline algae.