Herbaria

The New England Botanical Society Herbarium (acronym NEBC) was founded in 1896, and today is the largest repository of New England plant specimens. The mission of the Herbarium is to maintain and grow the collections, to document the past and present flora of New England, and to make that information available to the botanical community, researchers, and educational community through direct access to specimens and through virtual (digitized) herbaria.

The total holdings are nearly 291,000 specimens of both vascular plants and non-vascular cryptogams and include over 400 type specimens.  The Vascular Herbarium holds over 273,000 specimens, and the Cryptogamic Herbarium holds almost 18,000 specimens of bryophytes, algae, fungi and lichens. Both of these collections are actively growing through donations from researchers, local botanists, and collecting trips. All of the specimens are housed at the Harvard University Herbaria, where specimens are accessible to researchers.

The NEBS is eager to accept type specimens, new state or county records, records of invasive species, specimens of conservation concern, and voucher specimens cited in scientific publications, as well as specimens that contribute to our current understanding of plant diversity and distribution in New England. Detailed information is provided in the Curatorial Policy on Vascular Plant and Cryptogamic Acquisitions. Collectors must adhere to our policies on Plant Collecting Ethics and on Permits and Permissions.