United States National Herbarium (US-Botany)

The United States National Herbarium was founded in 1848, when the first collections were accessioned from the United States Exploring Expedition (50,000 specimens of 10,000 species). Current holdings total 5 million specimens, making this collection among the ten largest in the world representing about 8% of the plant collection resources of the United States. The herbarium is especially rich in type specimens (@110,000).
Contacts: Rusty Russell, Collections Manager, russellr@si.edu
Collection Type: Preserved Specimens
Management: Data snapshot of local collection database
Last Update: 6 May 2014
Digital Metadata: EML File
Collection Statistics
  • 238,399 specimen records
  • 48,651 (20%) georeferenced
  • 47,384 (20%) with images (47,384 total images)
  • 172,766 (72%) identified to species
  • 545 families
  • 4,191 genera
  • 36,612 species
  • 38,873 total taxa (including subsp. and var.)
Extra Statistics
Taxon Distribution
Taxon Distribution
  • Acanthocereus (63)
  • Acanthorhipsalis (1)
  • Aporocactus (3)
  • Ariocarpus (4)
  • Armatocereus (4)
  • Arrojadoa (12)
  • Arthrocereus (4)
  • Astrophytum (4)
  • Austrocylindropuntia (1)
  • Bolivicereus (2)
  • Borzicactus (51)
  • Brachycereus (3)
  • Brasilicactus (2)
  • Brasilicereus (5)
  • Browningia (14)
  • Calymmanthium (2)
  • Castellanosia (3)
  • Cephalocereus (30)
  • Cereus (97)
  • Cipocereus (1)
  • Cleistocactus (27)
  • Coleocephalocereus (9)
  • Corryocactus (33)
  • Coryphantha (10)
  • Cylindropuntia (2)
  • Dendrocereus (1)
  • Denmoza (1)
  • Disocactus (102)
  • Dolichothele (1)
  • Eccremocactus (9)
  • Echinocactus (9)
  • Echinocereus (6)
  • Echinofossulocactus (2)
  • Echinopsis (17)
  • Epiphyllum (258)
  • Erdisia (4)
  • Espostoa (25)
  • Espostoopsis (4)
  • Ferocactus (7)
  • Frailea (1)
  • Haageocereus (13)
  • Hariota (2)
  • Harrisia (10)
  • Hatiora (16)
  • Heliocereus (11)
  • Hylocereus (140)
  • Islaya (8)
  • Lemaireocereus (7)
  • Lepismium (75)
  • Leptocereus (1)
  • Lobivia (20)
  • Lophocereus (1)
  • Lophophora (4)
  • Mammillaria (72)
  • Matucana (8)
  • Melocactus (53)
  • Mila (3)
  • Monvillea (3)
  • Neolloydia (1)
  • Neoraimondia (16)
  • Nopalea (44)
  • Nopalxochia (5)
  • Nyctocereus (4)
  • Opuntia (426)
  • Oreocereus (1)
  • Oroya (10)
  • Pachycereus (4)
  • Parodia (1)
  • Peniocereus (8)
  • Pereskia (162)
  • Pereskiopsis (4)
  • Phellosperma (1)
  • Pilocereus (1)
  • Pilosocereus (77)
  • Praecereus (12)
  • Pygmaeocereus (1)
  • Quiabentia (1)
  • Rathbunia (1)
  • Rebutia (3)
  • Rhipsalis (400)
  • Samaipaticereus (1)
  • Schlumbergera (2)
  • Selenicereus (54)
  • Stenocereus (34)
  • Stetsonia (2)
  • Strophocactus (6)
  • Trichocereus (25)
  • Weberbauerocereus (3)
  • Weberocereus (57)
  • Werckleocereus (10)
  • Wittia (1)
  • Zygocactus (9)