Chicago Botanic Garden
Nancy Poole Rich
Herbarium Collections Policy
October 2002
MISSION
The Nancy Poole Rich Herbarium of the Chicago Botanic Garden is a scientific, taxonomic and educational resource managed by the Conservation Science Department. It serves the conservation mission of the Garden by housing a significant and growing reference collection of the native and introduced flora of the Chicago region and the Upper Midwest as well as a voucher collection of plants studied in the Conservation Science Department. It supports the horticultural mission of the Garden by housing a representative collection of voucher specimens of the Garden’s living collections, horticultural research programs and plant exploration programs. It supports the education mission of the Garden by providing resources to support the programs of the School of the Botanic Garden.
SCOPE OF COLLECTION
The Herbarium is a repository of preserved and mounted vouchered plants comprising specimens of regional flora, particularly the Flora of Cook County; vouchers for research studies, including Conservation Science, Plant Evaluation, and Plant Breeding Programs; verified horticultural specimens from the Garden’s living collections; and specimens collected on Garden-sponsored plant explorations. Although the Herbarium houses primarily vascular plants, it also contains an insect collection from the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden, stored in two cases; small collection of fungi and of bryophytes from McDonald Woods; and a lichen collection of 50 specimens collected in the Cook County Forest Preserve system. The Herbarium collection currently comprises approximately 12,000 specimens, all of which are owned by the Garden. Its core collection includes:
A reference identification collection of the native and naturalized flora of the Chicago Wilderness region, particularly the Flora of Cook County Project, which includes specimens collected from Chicago Botanic Garden’s native habitats, and from other parts of the Upper Midwest, including voucher specimens from the Conservation Science program. The regional flora collection contributes to the Garden’s partnership in Chicago Wilderness by documenting regional biodiversity. (Flora of Cook County: 3,000; other native/naturalized regional flora: 2,700. Total: 5,700.)
Verified ornamental horticultural specimens from the Garden's living display collections, particularly the genera Cornus, Amelanchier, Cotoneaster, Euonymus, Malus, Spiraea, Viburnum. (1,600)
Specimens collected on Garden sponsored plant explorations. (1,000)