There is one flower that will never be found in herbarium, but not because of its rarity, habitat or toxicity. I first encountered frost flowers a decade ago along my driveway in southeastern Alamance County.
New plants, animals and fungi are not only found in far-away exotic locations. The Carolina campus might be a surprising place to find an fungus never before documented from North Carolina, but recently a Carolina Biology major did just that.
(4 August 1921 – 23 November 1990 ) Helen Shedd Sherwin was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to Edith Sherwin nee Dodson and Melvin Ernest Sherwin. Her father was a professor of agriculture at North Carolina State College in that city. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Women’s College of the University of North Carolina (which later became…
The southeastern United States is home to incredible biodiversity, and new plants are discovered in this area every year. Plant lists for this region, or Flora, evolve and change, making the most recent edition vital for professionals working in conservation and natural resources management. On the cutting edge of the research to identify plants and their ranges are herbaria. Herbaria are collections of…
Dear Members and Friends of the Garden, It has been an unprecedented year full of uncertainty and challenging circumstances. As the 2020 calendar year draws to a close, we reflect on our ability to adapt and continue to provide valuable resources to our visitors, volunteers, and students. Whether you took an afternoon hike on the Piedmont…
(4 December 1894 – 19 December 1988) The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium (NCU) has found a single vascular plant specimen collected by Effie Boon. As she collected primarily in her home state of Texas which is outside our current cataloging focus, it is possible that more specimens collected by her will…
One of the challenges of cataloging herbarium specimens – algae, fungi, mosses, vascular plants, or fossils – is interpreting the information on the specimen’s label. Some nearby localities I have puzzled over include The Tin Can, Scott’s Hole, Sparrow’s Meadow, The Volcano, and The Caves.
You can now order from our Garden Shop online! From botanical t-shirts to gardening books to native wildflower seeds to crafts by local artists, you’re sure to find an awesome gift for the plant-lover in your life (or a treat for yourself!). Think of us when doing your holiday shopping: all proceeds from our Garden…
Did you miss a recent lecture you had hoped to see? Or want to re-watch a favorite? One small silver lining of pandemic life is we have many virtual programs, and they are usually recorded. Just because you couldn’t attend during the event doesn’t mean you miss out! Find virtual program recordings >
Led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this underground seed bank protects 2.4 billion seeds from all across the planet. At the North Carolina Botanical Garden, we’re proud to be one of only five United States institutions that are MSB1 primary partners.