University and Jepson Herbaria
Encyclopedia
The University and Jepson Herbaria are two separate herbaria
at the University of California, Berkeley
. These botanical
natural history
museum
s are located on the ground floor of the Valley Life Sciences Building on the main campus of the university in Berkeley, California
. There are a number of ancillary collections such as the Fruit & Cone Collection, Horticultural Herbarium and Spirit Collection. Holotype
s are maintained separately for both Herbaria. The Charterhouse School
Herbarium (Index Herbariorum designation GOD) is housed separately within the University Herbarium. The Herbaria have an open house every year on CalDay with a range of activities for children and adults.
s, bryophyte
s, algae
, and fungi. Originally located in South Hall (UC Berkeley)
the University herbarium grew rapidly and now contains over 2.2 million specimens.
Although not officially named ‘Director’, William Albert Setchell, whose primary interest was marine algae, officially established the University Herbarium and was chair of the Botany Department. He was succeeded in 1933 by Herbert L. Mason in 1933, Lincoln Constance in 1963 and Robert Ornduff in 1975. 1982 saw Thomas Duncan as Director lead ambitious digitization efforts. These efforts were furthered with the appointment of Brent D. Mishler (a bryologist and Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology) as Director in 1993. Under Mishler’s leadership the Consortium of California Herbaria database was established in 2003 to serve as a gateway to information from California vascular plant specimens that are housed in herbaria throughout the state. The Herbaria currently have over 375,000 digitized specimens with a combined total for the consortium of over 1.3 million specimens.
. It was established to "understand and conserve the California flora." In addition to the herbarium specimens research staff are working on botanical projects that include updating the The Jepson Manual
, as well as related online resources for identifying California flora. A series of workshops on botanical and ecological subjects are designed and run to accommodate botanical enthusiasts from beginners to professionals. It was founded by Willis Linn Jepson
in 1950.
The First Jepson Curator was Rimo Bacigalupi (1950-68) followed by Lawrence R. Heckard (1968-1991). The Current Curator of the Jepson Herbarium is Bruce Baldwin who is also a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology.
in addition to families such as Compositae and Umbelliferae. The collections are housed in a climate controlled, purpose built facility. Cabinets are installed on moving compactors for maximum space efficiency. The museum maintains a positive air pressure to reduce risks to the specimens from dermestid beetles and other museum pests.
The majority of the California collections date from the 1860’s on, however a number of specimens are prior to this including some collections of David Douglas
from the 1830’s.
, particularly the experiences of botanist, John Gill Lemmon who was a prisoner at Andersonville Prison
and Florence Stockade
.
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. These botanical
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s are located on the ground floor of the Valley Life Sciences Building on the main campus of the university in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. There are a number of ancillary collections such as the Fruit & Cone Collection, Horticultural Herbarium and Spirit Collection. Holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
s are maintained separately for both Herbaria. The Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
Herbarium (Index Herbariorum designation GOD) is housed separately within the University Herbarium. The Herbaria have an open house every year on CalDay with a range of activities for children and adults.
University Herbarium
Founded in 1890 with the new Department of Botany, the focus of the University Herbarium is worldwide and includes vascular plantVascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
s, bryophyte
Bryophyte
Bryophyte is a traditional name used to refer to all embryophytes that do not have true vascular tissue and are therefore called 'non-vascular plants'. Some bryophytes do have specialized tissues for the transport of water; however since these do not contain lignin, they are not considered to be...
s, algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, and fungi. Originally located in South Hall (UC Berkeley)
South Hall (UC Berkeley)
South Hall, built in 1873, is the oldest building on the University of California, Berkeley campus and the only remaining building of the original campus. South Hall was originally the counterpart of North Hall, which no longer exists, but was located where the Bancroft Library currently stands.The...
the University herbarium grew rapidly and now contains over 2.2 million specimens.
Although not officially named ‘Director’, William Albert Setchell, whose primary interest was marine algae, officially established the University Herbarium and was chair of the Botany Department. He was succeeded in 1933 by Herbert L. Mason in 1933, Lincoln Constance in 1963 and Robert Ornduff in 1975. 1982 saw Thomas Duncan as Director lead ambitious digitization efforts. These efforts were furthered with the appointment of Brent D. Mishler (a bryologist and Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology) as Director in 1993. Under Mishler’s leadership the Consortium of California Herbaria database was established in 2003 to serve as a gateway to information from California vascular plant specimens that are housed in herbaria throughout the state. The Herbaria currently have over 375,000 digitized specimens with a combined total for the consortium of over 1.3 million specimens.
Jepson Herbarium
The focus of the Jepson Herbarium is California vascular plants, including the native flora of CaliforniaCalifornia native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
. It was established to "understand and conserve the California flora." In addition to the herbarium specimens research staff are working on botanical projects that include updating the The Jepson Manual
The Jepson Manual
The Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California is a collection of identification keys to help biologists identify the vascular plants within the state of California...
, as well as related online resources for identifying California flora. A series of workshops on botanical and ecological subjects are designed and run to accommodate botanical enthusiasts from beginners to professionals. It was founded by Willis Linn Jepson
Willis Linn Jepson
Willis Linn Jepson is known as California's most distinguished early botanist. He became interested in botany as a boy and explored adjacent regions. He had come in contact with various botanists before he entered college...
in 1950.
The First Jepson Curator was Rimo Bacigalupi (1950-68) followed by Lawrence R. Heckard (1968-1991). The Current Curator of the Jepson Herbarium is Bruce Baldwin who is also a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology.
Collections
Due to past and current staff and faculty research the collections have particular strengths in bryophytes, pteridophytes and algaeAlgae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
in addition to families such as Compositae and Umbelliferae. The collections are housed in a climate controlled, purpose built facility. Cabinets are installed on moving compactors for maximum space efficiency. The museum maintains a positive air pressure to reduce risks to the specimens from dermestid beetles and other museum pests.
The majority of the California collections date from the 1860’s on, however a number of specimens are prior to this including some collections of David Douglas
David Douglas
David Douglas was a Scottish botanist. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America, and Hawaii, where he died.-Early life:...
from the 1830’s.
Libraries and Archives
In addition to the specimens the Herbaria house two libraries and extensive archives containing field books, correspondence and images that support collections research. The archives contain material that often transcends botany such as documents detailing events in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, particularly the experiences of botanist, John Gill Lemmon who was a prisoner at Andersonville Prison
Andersonville prison
The Andersonville prison, officially known as Camp Sumter, served as a Confederate Prisoner-of-war camp during the American Civil War. The site of the prison is now Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia. Most of the site actually lies in extreme southwestern Macon County,...
and Florence Stockade
Florence Stockade
The Florence Stockade, also known as The Stockade or the Confederate States Military Prison at Florence, was a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp located on the outskirts of Florence, South Carolina, during the American Civil War...
.