The Herbarium
The Arboretum herbarium houses more than 162,000 dried plant specimens and 20,000 lichens, many from Illinois and Missouri. The herbarium's strongest collections are its (1) active and nearly comprehensive contemporary collection of the flora of the 24-county Chicago region and (2) broad collection of woody plants of the northern Temperate zone, both cultivated and spontaneous. Our Chicago region collections are available online through vPlants, and we are currently seeking funding to make an online portal for the remaining collections. Other important collections include:
- More than 20,000 specimens collected by Erwin Evert from the area of Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding mountains in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho
- Most of Gerould Wilhelm's collection of plants from the western panhandle of Florida and southern Alabama counties
- A portion of E. J. Palmer's collection from the early 1900's
- The vouchers of Vauquelinia, which William Hess monographed, and the genera Nolina and southwestern Yucca that Hess studied for the Flora of North America
- The vouchers of the plants collected in the United States for the National Cancer Institute's anti-AIDS and cancer testing program
- Approximately 1,000 genotyped oak specimens from our current research in Quercus section Lobatae
Herbarium opportunities
The herbarium depends on our more than 30 active volunteers, who collect plants, mount specimens, file and accession, make labels, enter data, develop databases and aid in nomenclatural research, and assist in many other tasks. The herbarium is a lively and enjoyable place to work. If you are interested in volunteering with us, you can contact Andrew Hipp, Plant Systematist and Herbarium Curator, or Jason Sturner, Herbarium Assistant, to discuss possibilities.
Links
- vPlants, the Virtual Herbarium of the Chicago region
- Herbarium seminar series for volunteers and staff [PDF]
- Daily Herald article on the Herbarium and research at The Morton Arboretum
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Research areas
- Phylogenetics and comparative analysis
- Plant taxonomy and floristics
- Molecular ecology
- Chromosome evolution
- Datasets and code
Current Projects
- Systematics and genome evolution in Carex subg. Vignea
- Interaction between gene flow and chromosome rearrangement in Carex scoparia
- Molecular genetic evidence of serpentine adaptation in Quercus ilex
- Patterns of hybridization in the Hill's oak group (Quercus ellipsoidalis and relatives)
- Systematics of elms (Ulmus)
- Reconstructing continuous character transitions on phylogenetic trees