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General Info | Tours | Other Resources | Hours
General InformationThe Stillinger Herbarium currently houses just over 133,000 accessioned vascular plant specimens, 20,000 mosses and lichens, and 20,000 fungal specimens. Our collection grows through sources that include: exchanges with other herbaria; collections by faculty, graduate students and herbarium personnel; deposits or donations by people working on plant-related projects; and the purchase of specimens. The University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium is currently devoted to collecting the vascular plants of Idaho and surrounding regions. We also hold the state's largest, most complete collection of mosses, lichens, and hepatics. ToursThe herbarium hosts tours for classes, school groups, and individuals. Tours generally last from 30 minutes to an hour and include an introduction to the herbarium and demonstrations of certain curatorial activities, and can be tailored as appropriate for groups of various ages and interests. Tours must be arranged in advance; for more information please contact the herbarium. Other ResourcesThe Stillinger Herbarium houses an extensive library of materials relevant to plants, plant identification, plant taxonomy, and ecology, as well as a large library devoted to bryophytes. Books are available to be used in the herbarium during scheduled herbarium hours. See the Library page for titles.
The University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium (ID) is the largest herbarium in the state and is recognized as the best collection of Idaho plants on earth. It remains the official state repository for plant specimens. In 2000, the bryophyte collection was also incorporated into the main herbarium. Worldwide, there are approximately 3,000 herbaria. The UI Herbarium is one of 227 world herbaria with collections between 100,000 and 249,000 specimens. This leaves only 350 herbaria that have more specimens than Idaho.
The herbarium functions in teaching, research, and public service. The collection supports classes taught in this department, and in other colleges on campus, as well. As a research tool, herbaria represent an invaluable data source for floristics, ecological studies, studying evolutionary trends and genetic variations, rare and endangered plants, and offer historical perspective to vegetative changes in an area. Also, since DNA can be extracted from dried plant material, modern molecular techniques have allowed scientists throughout the world to utilize herbaria for their research. Public service activities include plant identification, educational workshops and providing other informaton on plants as requested. Visitors are always welcome and tours are available by request Read the History of the Stillinger Herbarium. HoursThe hours we are open vary from semester to semester depending on our staff's schedules; please contact us to check on the herbarium hours.
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