California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
United States
Dr. Debra Trock, Senior Collections Manager
Email: dtrock@calacademy.org
Rebecca Peters, LAPI Project
Tel: rpeters@calacademy.org
The herbarium of the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) includes approximately 1.9 million plant specimens. More than 95% of the specimens are vascular seed plants; the remainder are ferns and a growing collection of bryophytes. There are more than 11 000 types housed separately from the general collection.
The collection was built largely as the result of research collections by the curators and staff of CAS and the Dudley Herbarium (DS) and augmented by purchases, exchanges, and bequests made over the years. The collection is strongest in vascular plants from North and Latin America (particularly California and western and southern Mexico) and the Galapagos Islands, as well as important collections from other areas of the world. Some vascular plant families and genera that are especially well represented are Acanthaceae, Brassicaceae, Carex, Eriogonum, Hydrophyllaceae, Lupinus, Madinae (Asteraceae), Malvaceae, Melastomataceae, Onagraceae, Penstemon, Poaceae, Polemoniaceae, and Quercus. The herbarium also includes the largest collection of ornamental plants in California.
The main focus for growth presently involves the acquisition of plants from Latin America (particularly Mexico, Central America, and northern South America), Eastern Asia (particularly China), and Western North America (particularly California, Nevada, and Arizona).
Materials of Special Interest
- Important collections/collectors represented in the combined herbarium (CAS and DS):
- Abrams, L. —Western North America (particularly Pacific States)
- Abrams, L. —Western North America (particularly Pacific States)
- Almeda, F. —Central America, Madagascar, Mexico, and South America
- Bartholomew, B. —Bhutan, California, China, and Mexico
- Breedlove, D. E. —California and Mexico
- Daniel, T.F. —Arizona, California (particularly San Francisco), Honduras, Mexico, and Madagascar
- Dudley, W. R. —New York and California
- Eastwood, A. —Western North America (particularly California and Arizona)
- Elmer, A. D. E. —Plants of California, Philippines, and Indonesia (Borneo)
- Ferris, R. S. —Western North America and China
- Heller, A. A. —Western North America
- Ho, T. N. —China (Qinghai)
- Howell, J. T. —Western North America and Galapagos Islands
- Kellogg, A. —Early California and Baja California
- Knoche, H. —California, Mediterranean region, Canary Islands, and Balearic Islands
- J. F. Maxwell —Thailand
- Mexia, Y. —Mexico and Brazil
- Orcutt, C. R. —Southern California and Mexico
- Raven, P. —California and Onagraceae
- Rzedowski, J. —Mexico
- Steward, A. —Galapagos Islands
- Thomas, J. H. —Central California, arctic Alaska, and Baja California
- Wiggins, I. L. —Western North America, Alaska, Baja California, Western Mexico, Galapagos Islands, and Ecuador
- Wilson, E. H. —China and Japan
- Important Historic European Herbaria Included in the CAS Collections
- The Albert Praeger Herbarium , purchased by the Academy in 1920, contains 40 000-50 000 specimens including collections of Boissier, Ecklon & Zeyher, Endress, Meyer, Schaffner, Schimper, Von Egger, and Schlechtendahl.
- The herbarium of Gaston Gautier containing in excess of 126 000 sheets from the Mediterranean region, Asia Minor, the Balkans, North Africa, Madagascar, Cape of Good Hope, and the West Indies. This collection contains specimens made by such prominent botanists as Berlandier, Bovin, Bosc, Commerson, Cuming, Dushassaing, Ecklon & Zeyher, Bombey, Forskal, Gaudichaud, Gautier, Guillemium, Kotschy, Miers, Perrottet, Schomburgk, Spruce, Verreaux, and Wallich.
- The Harvey Herbarium , which represents one of several sets of duplicates from William Harvey of Trinity College, Dublin, contains some 70 000 specimens representing over 19 000 species. It is rich in early material from Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and from many botanical gardens in Europe, particularly Paris and St. Petersburg. Most of these specimens date from 1750 to 1865.