New York State Museum Herbarium (New York State Museum-NYS)

The vouchers for John Torrey's Flora of the State of New York (1843) formed the nucleus of the Herbarium. Because of the cultural and economic importance of the Albany-Troy area in the 19th century, the herbarium attracted collections of other early botanists, including material from Lewis Caleb Beck, Chester Dewey, H. P. Sartwell, Edward Tuckerman, Asa Gray, P. D. Kneiskern, among others. The herbarium also received important type specimens from M. A. Curtis, L. S. Rose, I. W. Clokey, C. F. Austin, B. D. Gilbert, C. S. Sheldon, E. Brainerd, C. S. Sargent, E. P. Bicknell, and H. M. Denslow. Throughout its history, the herbarium grew considerably from collections made by state botanists, Charles H. Peck, Homer D. House, Eugene C. Ogden, and Richard M. Mitchell and curators, Stanley J. Smith and Charles J. Sheviak.

Collections Manager: Diana Murphy, diana.murphy@nysed.gov, 518-402-5350
Curator of Botany: Dr. James C. Lendemer, james.lendemer@nysed.gov, 518-473-6511
Collection Type: Preserved Specimens
Management: Data snapshot of local collection database
Last Update: 26 January 2024
Digital Metadata: EML File
Collection Statistics
  • 37,811 specimen records
  • 1,622 (4%) georeferenced
  • 34,685 (92%) identified to species
  • 211 families
  • 1,170 genera
  • 4,329 species
  • 5,122 total taxa (including subsp. and var.)
Extra Statistics
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