Botanical Treasures from Duke's Hidden Library
About this Exhibit
The Duke Herbarium is one of the largest herbaria in the United States and the second largest at a private U.S. university (after Harvard). With more than 800,000 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, algae, lichens, and fungi (examples of which can be seen in the four cases in the center of this exhibition), the Duke Herbarium is a unique and irreplaceable resource used by local, national, and international scientific communities.
In addition to documenting the diversity, ecology, and distribution of plants in the Carolinas and other regions across the globe (especially Mesoamerica), the Duke Herbarium includes voucher specimens for many taxonomic, molecular, biochemical, and cytogenetic studies that significantly enhance the research value of the collection and make it exceptional among peer institutions.
We hope that this exhibition sheds light on the many botanical treasures and resources housed in Duke’s “hidden library” and demonstrates the beauty and importance of herbaria in furthering our understanding of the natural world.
The Duke Herbarium exhibition was curated by:
Layne Huiet, Senior Research Scientist and Vascular Plants Collections Manager, Duke Herbarium
Tiff Shao, Trinity Class of 2012 (Biology), Associate in Research, Duke Herbarium
Anne Johnson, Trinity Class of 2013 (Biology)
Kathleen Pryer, Professor of Biology and Director of Duke Herbarium
Generous assistance and guidance from Duke faculty, staff, and students are greatly appreciated:
Margaret Brown, Exhibits Coordinator, Duke University Libraries
Mark Zupan, Senior Graphic Designer, Duke University Libraries
Jennifer Blomberg, Senior Conservation Technician, Duke University Libraries
Michael Daul, Digital Projects Developer, Duke University Libraries
Molly McMullen, Bryophytes and Lichens Collections Manager, Duke Herbarium
Jolanta Miadlikowska, Senior Research Scientist (lichens), Duke Biology
Francois Lutzoni, Associate Professor of Biology and Curator of Lichens, Duke Herbarium
Connie Robertson, Fungi Collections Manager, Duke Herbarium
Carl Rothfels, Ph.D. 2012, Duke Biology
Richard Searles, Professor Emeritus of Biology and Curator of Algae, Duke Herbarium
Blanka Shaw, Senior Research Scientist (bryophytes) and Data Manager, Duke Herbarium
Jon Shaw, Professor of Biology and Curator of Bryophytes, Duke Herbarium Rytas Vilgalys, Professor of Biology and Curator of Fungi, Duke Herbarium
Michael Windham, Senior Research Scientist and Curator of Vascular Plants, Duke Herbarium
This exhibition was sponsored in part by:
The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
Duke Biology
Duke Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
The Annals of Botany Company
Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info