Status of North Carolina Herbaria Alexander Krings North Carolina State University Herbarium (NCSC) Apr 2007
Outline Overview and summary of NC collections Highlight of programs
Evaluating activity level: Number of specimens by state -Funk & Morin (2000) numbers are based on survey results -17 NC herbaria in Index Herbariorum, but at about 27-30 in NC
Evaluating activity level: Specimens per square mile -inaccuracy of spec/sq.mi. data because a significant portion of specimens in North Carolina are not from the State
Evaluating activity level: Taxonomists by state and square mile ASPT = American Society of Plant Taxonomists IAPT = International Association for Plant Taxonomy
Vascular and non-vascular specimens held in 15 Herbaria in North Carolina so far in SERNEC 1.6 million specimens or 94% of specimens held by NC herbaria Duke University (800,000 spec.; vasc. collections primarily NC/SE 70%) University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (665,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) North Carolina State University (140,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) Mecklenburg County Parks & Rec. (42,000 spec.; >95% NC/SE) Western Carolina University (27,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) University of North Carolina Wilmington (25,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) Appalachian State University (17,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) Wake Forest University (13,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) NC A&T Univ. (6,800 spec.); >95% NC/SE) Warren Wilson College (6,500 spec.; >90% NC/SE) Catawba College (6,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) Salem College (5,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) University of North Carolina Asheville (4,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) University of North Carolina Pembroke (4,000 spec.; primarily NC/SE) High Point University (3,000 spec.; >95% NC/SE) Total: ~1.7 million spec. in NC herbaria (vasc. & non-vasc.) Vascular 1.3 million spec. (~ 1 million spec. from NC/SE) Non-vascular 380,000 spec. (primarily at DUKE & NCU)
Others (not yet contacted/unable to contact/unverifiable status): Atlantic Christian College ( very small ; 100% NC/SE) Belmont Abbey (500 spec.; 85% NC/SE) Campbell University (2,000 spec.; 100% NC/SE) Gardner-Webb College (3,200 spec.; 100% NC/SE) Guilford College (2,000 spec.: >95% NC/SE) Isothermal Community College (700 spec.; 100% NC/SE) Louisburg College (1,800 spec.; 100% NC/SE) Mars Hill College (2,300 spec.; 100% NC/SE) St. Andrews Presbyterian College (10,000 spec.); > 95% NC/SE) Univ. NC Greensboro (200 spec.; >95% NC/SE) Univ. NC Chapel Hill/Morehead City (5,000 spec./ marine fungi) Western Piedmont Community College (750 spec.; >95% NC/SE) Total: ~28,450 specimens (vasc. & non vasc.) Park herbaria & private collections not included
Collections usage in North Carolina (N=8) ca. 1.7 million specimens research, extension, teaching nearly exclusively teaching (N=19) ca. 63,000 specimens
Facilities, staffing, strengths of representative collections: Some examples Western Carolina University (27,000 specimens) University of NC-- Wilmington (25,000 specimens) Appalachian State University (17,000 specimens) Wake Forest University (13,000 specimens) 1 Faculty Systematist (vasc.) 3 Faculty Systematists (vasc./non-vasc.) 2 Faculty Systematist (vasc./non-vasc.) 1 Faculty Systematist (vasc.) 1-2 Loans/yr 3-5 Loans/yr 3-5 Loans/yr 1-2 Loans/yr Strength: western NC Strength: eastern NC Strength: western NC Strength: NC
Catawba College (6,000 specimens) Salem College (5,000 specimens) University of North Carolina--Asheville (4,000 specimens) University of North Carolina--Pembroke (4,000 specimens) 1 Faculty Systematist (vasc.) 1 Faculty Director. 1 Faculty Systematist (vasc.) 1 Faculty Systematist (vasc.) No loans No loans No loans No loans Strength: Rowan Co. Strength: NC; oldest herbarium in State Strength: western NC Strength: eastern NC
Aulbach-Smith et al. (1986) DUKE: large systematics program; numerous systematics faculty (vasc./non-vasc.) --vasc. herb. small growth in past few years (1-2K/yr) --small loan program (avg. 11/yr for last 2 yrs) NCU: administratively @ NC Botanical Garden --Curator only; no faculty systematists at UNC-CH --large loan program (150/yr; 80% digital) --active growth (5K-10K/yr) NCSC: 2 faculty systematists + Curator --active floristics and systematics training --small growth in past few years (1-2K/yr) --small loan program (avg. 5-20/yr) --large extension component Funk & Morin (2000) Present Estimation
Duke University (800,000 specimens) --NSF support for databasing bryophytes, as well as compactors for new facility http://www.biology.duke.edu/herbarium/
North Carolina State University (140,000 specimens) http://herbarium.ncsu.edu
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (665,000 specimens) http://herbarium.unc.edu ca. 83,000 specimens databased to date
By Xianhua Liu, Robert K. Peet, and Alan S. Weakley, with support from NSF grants DBI- 0213794 and ITR-0225635.
Acknowledgments Thanks to the following folks for meeting with me or providing information on short notice regarding their collections: Mike Baranksi (Catawba College) Greg Chandler (UNC-Wilmington) David Clarke (UNC-Asheville) Jennifer Cruse-Sanders (Salem College) Lisa Kelly (UNC-Pembroke) Bruce Kirchoff (UNC-Greensboro) Kathy Kron (Wake Forest University) Kathy Mathews (Western Carolina University) Carol Ann McCormick (UNC-Chapel Hill) Derick Poindexter (BOON) Kathleen Pryer (Duke University) Gerald Smith (Highpoint University) Alan Weakley (UNC-Chapel Hill) Robert Wilbur (Duke University) Michael Windham (Duke University)