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
  • Acalypha (139)
  • Actinostemon (11)
  • Adelia (3)
  • Adenophaedra (2)
  • Adenoropium (1)
  • Alchornea (61)
  • Alchorneopsis (8)
  • Amanoa (17)
  • Anisophyllum (1)
  • Aparisthmium (14)
  • Argythamnia (8)
  • Astrocasia (1)
  • Bernardia (9)
  • Bridelia (1)
  • Caperonia (7)
  • Caryodendron (10)
  • Celianella (1)
  • Chaetocarpus (13)
  • Chamaesyce (13)
  • Cleidion (5)
  • Cnidoscolus (13)
  • Codiaeum (3)
  • Conceveiba (28)
  • Conceveibastrum (6)
  • Croizatia (26)
  • Croton (244)
  • Cunuria (11)
  • Dalechampia (22)
  • Dendrothrix (1)
  • Didymocistus (1)
  • Discocarpus (1)
  • Ditaxis (4)
  • Dodecastigma (3)
  • Drypetes (35)
  • Euphorbia (117)
  • Euphronia (2)
  • Garcia (3)
  • Gavarretia (3)
  • Gitara (2)
  • Glycydendron (11)
  • Gymnanthes (4)
  • Hevea (28)
  • Hieronyma (63)
  • Hippomane (2)
  • Hura (24)
  • Hyeronima (11)
  • Jatropha (25)
  • Joannesia (3)
  • Julocroton (6)
  • Mabea (83)
  • Manihot (49)
  • Maprounea (10)
  • Margaritaria (10)
  • Micrandra (9)
  • Nealchornea (1)
  • Omphalea (14)
  • Ophellantha (2)
  • Paradrypetes (3)
  • Pausandra (19)
  • Pedilanthus (2)
  • Pera (32)
  • Phyllanoa (1)
  • Phyllanthus (85)
  • Plukenetia (17)
  • Pogonophora (16)
  • Poinsettia (4)
  • Poraresia (1)
  • Richeria (11)
  • Sagotia (6)
  • Sandwithia (1)
  • Sapium (75)
  • Savia (1)
  • Sebastiania (10)
  • Securinega (1)
  • Senefeldera (18)
  • Senefelderopsis (1)
  • Stillingia (4)
  • Tepuianthus (3)
  • Tetrorchidium (29)
  • Tragia (10)