Featured Picks

Kuntze in San Francisco, California

Mar 19 2019

Otto Kuntze collected this plant in San Francisco. He boarded a ship…

By Nicole Tarnowsky

Kuntze in Trinidad

Mar 19 2019

Otto Kuntze collected this plant in Trinidad in 1874. 360° view of…

By Nicole Tarnowsky

Kuntze on Devil's Peak, South Africa

Mar 24 2019

See what Otto Kuntze would have seen from Devil's Peak, South Africa…

By Nicole Tarnowsky

Label Appreciation: Borders

Jul 24 2020

Works of Art

Labels are as important to a herbarium specimen as the plant, alga, or…

By Amy Weiss

Label Appreciation: Favorites

Dec 21 2021

Works of Art

Labels are as important to a herbarium specimen as the plant, alga, or…

By Amy Weiss

Label Appreciation: Rainbow of colors

Jun 1 2021

Labels are as important to a herbarium specimen as the plant, algae, or…

By Amy Weiss

Lace Algae

Jan 10 2019

Cabinet of Curiosities

Many of the red algae are incredibly delicate and beautiful, as exemplified…

By Laura Briscoe

Laelia of Mexico!

Jan 23 2025

Focus on Science

Laelia is a small genus of 24 orchids with a center of…

By Matthew C. Pace

Lafayette Frederick - Fungal Systematist

Feb 2 2021

Lafayette Frederick (1923-2018) was exposed to plant diversity as a young child growing…

By Laura Briscoe

Lavender

Feb 4 2019

Specimen Stories

Lavender has been used in traditional medicine for centuries for its soothing…

Learning from Extinct Plants

Sep 19 2019

Specimen StoriesFocus on Science

From the woolly mammoth to the passenger pigeon, many extinct species owe…

By McKenna Coyle

Leaves of three, let it be!

Jul 23 2021

Cabinet of Curiosities

If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you surely have heard the age-old…

By Elizabeth A. Gjieli

Lenape Foodways

Nov 8 2022

The Lenape use hundreds of plants for food, including species that historically…

By Emily B. Sessa

Lenape Plant Medicines

Nov 8 2022

Lenape healers or herbalists use a large number of plants for treating…

By Emily B. Sessa

Lentils

Feb 11 2019

Specimen Stories

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

By Leanna M. Feder

Lettuce Lichen

Feb 5 2019

Specimen Stories

Similar to the Old Man’s Beard, Lungwort lichens can only thrive in…

By Laura Briscoe

Lichen Dots

Sep 20 2021

Specimen Stories

When you see these circles on lichens, what you're seeing are the…

By Laura Briscoe, Amanda M. Chandler

Lichen Pride

Jun 12 2019

Works of Art

Enjoy celebrating Pride Month with this rainbow of lichens!

By Laura Briscoe

Lichenicolous Fungi

Jun 8 2022

Focus on Science

Composed of different species each playing a different role, a lichen can…

By Greer Lowenstein, Amanda M. Chandler

Lichens and Rising Sea Levels

Sep 26 2019

In The Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, from Massachusetts to North…

By Laura Briscoe

Lichens at the Seashore

Sep 4 2021

Lichens are highly adapted organisms found in nearly every ecosystem on Earth,…

By Amanda M. Chandler

Life in Slot Canyons

Oct 11 2019

Cabinet of CuriositiesExpeditions

Slot canyons are deep channels eroded into rock. They are often ten…

By Sarah Dutton

Love Potions & Charms

Feb 6 2020

Specimen Stories

Love potions and charms are mentioned countless times throughout literature; from ancient…

By Leanna M. Feder

Luffa

Mar 27 2019

Specimen Stories

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

By Amy Weiss

Madagascar periwinkle

Feb 5 2019

Specimen Stories

Commonly known as Madagascar periwinkle, this member of the dogbane family has…

By Leanna M. Feder