Featured Picks

#plantlove

Apr 11 2019

Plant Love

Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…

By Laura Briscoe, Nicole Tarnowsky, Amy Weiss, Melissa C. Tulig

BLT

Mar 27 2019

Specimen Stories

Did somebody order a specimen sandwich? 

By Amy Weiss

Luffa

Mar 27 2019

Specimen Stories

Due to their similar uses, many assume loofahs come from sea creatures…

By Amy Weiss

Kava

Mar 27 2019

Specimen Stories

Roots of the kava plant are used to produce a drink with…

By Leanna M. Feder

Smooth rock tripe

Feb 11 2019

Cabinet of Curiosities

This Umbilicaria species is regarded to be one of the largest lichens…

By Laura Briscoe

Lentils

Feb 11 2019

Specimen Stories

Lentils were one of the first domesticated crops and remain a dietary…

By Leanna M. Feder

Fig family, Moraceae

Feb 7 2019

Specimen Stories

Ficus carica L., the edible common fig has been cultivated for millenia.…

By Nicole Tarnowsky

Tea

Feb 5 2019

Specimen Stories

Tea is a widely popular and culturally significant beverage brewed from the…

Dulse

Feb 4 2019

Specimen Stories

Red algae like this one are important food sources for many marine…

By Laura Briscoe

Truffle

Jan 10 2019

Specimen StoriesFocus on Science

Truffles are fruiting bodies of Tuber fungi that grow underground. The fungi…

By Laura Briscoe

Hops

Jan 10 2019

Specimen Stories

An ingredient in most beers, hops add bitterness when added at the…

By Leanna M. Feder