Stillinger Herbarium

Stillinger Herbarium

Established in 1892, the University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium is the largest herbarium in Idaho and functions as a repository for approximately 250,000 specimens of plants, algae, lichen and fungi. The herbarium is a comprehensive botanical resource that provides documentation of the Idaho flora through space and time.

The herbarium’s collections contribute to a wide variety of research at University of Idaho and beyond, supporting research in systematics, floristics, ecology, conservation biology and natural resource management. The herbarium and its resources are also used for both formal and informal teaching and learning at U of I.

Collections

The Stillinger Herbarium consists of four major complementary specimen collections — vascular plants, non-vascular plants, lichens and fungi. Together, these collections are the best representation of the botanical and mycological flora of Idaho and provide a valuable addition to the flora of the Pacific Northwest and the flora of North America.

The Stillinger Herbarium is an active member of the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria since 2010, to bring together regional herbaria. The consortium supports an online portal for the public to access the wealth of existing and emerging information about the flora of the Pacific Northwest. As a part of the consortium, specimens housed at Stillinger Herbarium are digitally available through PNW Herbaria.

In addition to the specimen collections, the herbarium has an extensive botanical library. As an extension of the U of I main library, the herbarium houses over 1,800 volumes that can be searched through their catalog.

The herbarium's collections are recognized as a valuable resource by local, national and international researchers, students and professionals. These visitors range from the interested public, Native Plant Society members and private consultants, to university students, academic researchers and federal agency botanists. In addition, specific parts of the collection are often loaned to other institutions for systematic research, which increasingly includes the removal of tissue for genetic analysis in molecular systematic and population genetic studies. Likewise, the Stillinger Herbarium receives research loans for ongoing systematics research by U of I researchers.

Research

The Stillinger Herbarium serves as the repository for voucher specimens for all ecological and evolutionary research that investigates the origin and maintenance of biological diversity conducted by students and employees at University of Idaho.

The herbarium organizes several floristic projects and collecting trips each year that are primarily focused on the vast, under-collected areas of Idaho, helping to expand our knowledge of the flora of the interior Pacific Northwest.

The herbarium also has an active exchange program that shares duplicate specimens regularly with institutions across the country and internationally. Because many herbarium collections are comprised primarily of regional flora, active exchange programs greatly increase the geographic breadth of herbarium collections, providing researchers, professionals and institutions throughout North America specimens for comparative study.

Checklists

The Stillinger Herbarium compiles checklists of plants for popular local areas. These lists are valuable tools for use by the botanically-interested public, as well as land managers interested in knowledge of species occurrence.

In addition, county-level checklists for the entire Pacific Northwest can be compiled from our specimen database. These checklists are dynamically generated from specimen records in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database. They should not be considered complete county floras. Although our database holdings are extensive, there are still many gaps at the county level. You can help us fill the gaps by collecting and donating specimens to an herbarium in our region.

History

University of Idaho's Herbarium began with the collections of Louis F. Henderson (1853-1942). Henderson became the university’s first botanist and herbarium director in 1892. By 1906, the collection had grown as large as 85,000 specimens. On March 30, 1906, University of Idaho Administration building, which housed the herbarium at the time, was destroyed by fire and most of the collection was lost. There are only roughly 1,500 specimens left in our collection that predates the fire.

Growth of University of Idaho's Herbarium was slow following Henderson’s departure in 1911. Notable botanists such as William H. Baker and J. H. Christ continued to explore the flora of the area, contributing significantly to the regrowth of the herbarium. By the mid-1950s the collection had grown to about 50,000 specimens.

Under the directorship of Douglass M. Henderson from 1972-1996, the Stillinger Herbarium more than doubled in size. The Charles R. Stillinger Trust was established in 1957 and provides funding for the growth and development of the herbarium’s collections.

Funding

The Stillinger Trust, established in 1957, funds expeditions and research fellowships for the purpose of enhancing collections-based botanical research and growing collections in the Stillinger Herbarium. To learn more about the trust and available funds, contact Joe Kuhl at jkuhl@uidaho.edu.