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
  • Anguria (12)
  • Anguriopsis (1)
  • Apodanthera (2)
  • Calycophysum (14)
  • Cayaponia (28)
  • Ceratosanthes (2)
  • Cucumis (2)
  • Cucurbita (4)
  • Cyclanthera (16)
  • Elateriopsis (8)
  • Fevillea (7)
  • Frantzia (4)
  • Gurania (65)
  • Hanburia (1)
  • Melothria (10)
  • Microsechium (3)
  • Momordica (4)
  • Psiguria (7)
  • Rytidostylis (3)
  • Schizocarpum (3)
  • Sechium (2)
  • Selysia (2)
  • Sicydium (6)
  • Sicyos (6)
  • Siolmatra (2)