The USF Herbarium was established as a research and teaching collection in 1958, two years after the founding of the University of South Florida.
Location
The USF Herbarium is located in rooms 170-179 of the Life Sciences Building (LIF), on the Tampa Campus of the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
Phone: (813)974-6238
Fax: (813)974-3557
Mailing Address:
The Herbarium
Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave, BSF 218
Tampa, FL 33620-5150
Hours
The Herbarium is normally open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, except for holidays and subject to staff availability. To avoid any inconvenience, please contact the Herbarium staff prior to your visit.
Collections
The USF Herbarium, with more than 250,000 specimens, is the second largest collection in Florida, the seventh largest in the southeastern United States, and ranks in the upper third of the world's herbaria in size.
Area of Taxonomic and Geographic Concentration
The collection consists of more than 233,000 specimens of vascular plants, 17,000 algae, and 2,000 bryophytes and lichens. The collection is richest in plants from Florida (40%), with strong holdings from North America north of Mexico (37%) and Latin America (13%). It has the largest collection in the world of materials from central and southern Florida. One important collection is the approximately 5,800 Orchidaceae, second only in the southeastern United States to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, an institution specializing in epiphytic plants (including Orchidaceae). Another significant collection is several thousand specimens from Nepal and Burma, an area not well represented in US Herbaria. Specific groups well represented include Apocynaceae, Arecaceae (palms), Begoniaceae, Bromeliaceae, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), and pteridophytes (ferns), these reflecting the primary research interests of the past and present staff. The collection contains more than 350 vascular plant type specimens.
Important Collections
Important collections include those of K. Burt-Utley, Edwin L. Bridges, G. R. Cooley, B. F. Hansen, R.K. Godfrey, R. Kral, J. M. Kunzer, O. Lakela, R. W. Long, Steve L. Orzell, J. D. Ray, Jr., J. Utley and R. P. Wunderlin.
Library
The Herbarium Library contains more than 10,000 books, reprints and journals, an extensive map collection, and a microfiche collection. The Library is open during most hours that the Herbarium is open. Although materials are not allowed to leave the Library, visitors are welcome to use the materials here. For more information, or to arrange a visit, please contact the Herbarium staff. The Herbarium Library holdings are listed in the USF Libraries Catalog.
Services
The Herbarium is available for use by qualified individuals. Specimens are available on loan to recognized botanical institutions engaged in taxonomic research. A plant identification operated in cooperation with The Institute for Sytematic Botany (ISB) is provided to various companies, agencies, and individuals not part of USF and not involved in systematic research; contact B. Hansen or R. Wunderlin for more information. For further details regarding our use and loan policies, click here.
Staff
Director:
Diane Te Strake, Ph.D.
Phone: (813) 974-1594
Fax: (813) 974-1614
Email: testrake@.usf.edu
Curator:
Bruce F. Hansen, Ph.D.
Phone: (813) 974-6238
Fax: 813): 974-3557
Email: hansen@.usf.edu
Research interests: Apocynaceae, flora of Florida
Associated Research Staff:
Kathleen Burt-Utley, Ph.D.
Email: kburtutl@uno.edu
Research interest: Begoniaceae
Clinton J. Dawes, Ph.D.
Phone: (813) 974-2060
Email: cdawes@.usf.edu
Research interests: Physiological ecology and structure of seaweeds and seagrasses
Frederick B. Essig, Ph.D.
Phone: (813) 974-6234
Email: essig@.usf.edu
Research interests: Palm flora of New Guinea, Clematis (Ranunculaceae), carnivorous plants
John Utley, Ph.D.
Email: jutley@uno.edu
Research interest: Bromeliaceae
Richard P. Wunderlin, Ph.D.
Phone: (813) 974-2359
Email: rwunder@.usf.edu
Research interests: Bauhinia (Fabaceae), Cucurbitaceae, flora of Florida
Curatorial Assistants:
Chuck Courtney
Alan Franck
Mike Meads
Bob Upcavage
Marilyn Whetzel
Research
Current research projects at the Institute for Systematic Botany include the Flora of Florida, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants, monographic, and systematic studies.