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Botany Collection
Acting Curator: Dr. Karl Holte
208-282-3530
e-mail: holtkarl@isu.edu
Herbaria are collections of preserved plants with associated documentation.
The plants are dried pressed flat and glued to sheets of heavyweight,
archival quality paper. When prepared properly and protected from
insect damage or physical abuse, herbarium specimens can last for
hundred of years. These documented plant specimens are the physical
record of botanical diversity, biogeographic distribution, structural
and chemical variation, and ecology. In many cases, herbarium specimens
are irreplaceable.
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In 1931, botanist and professor, Ray J. Davis established the herbarium
at Idaho State University. For 34 years, Dr. Davis explored Idaho
collecting plants and documenting the flora. The Flora of Idaho,
published in 1952, is the result of Dr. Davis' dedication. He is
also a co-author of A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
(1963). In the mid- 1970s, the herbarium was transferred to the
Idaho Museum of Natural History and named in honor of its founder.
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Today, the Ray J. Davis Herbarium contains about 60,000 mounted
specimens and several thousand unprocessed specimens. Approximately
65-75% of the specimens are from Idaho and includes over 3,000 lichens
collected by Dr. Lorentz Pearson. The Herbarium serves as a repository
for collections from national parklands, such as City of Rocks National
Monument and for voucher specimens for ecological and biological
research conducted by Idaho State University faculty.
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Several unique collections held by the herbarium include:
- Flora of the Ft. Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho
- Medicinal, edible, and injurious flora of Deep Creek peak (Power
City, Idaho)
- Voucher specimens for ecological research on the US Department
of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
(INEEL)
- Floristic inventory of Caribou National Forest among others
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As a repository for botanical diversity, the Herbarium serves a
vital role for research and education. Through an active exchange
program with other herbaria, the Ray J. Davis Herbarium has developed
plant collections from throughout North and South America, Asia
and Europe. Faculty and students of Idaho State University utilize
these collections for comparative studies and research. The
Herbarium and its staff serve as a primary source of information
for Idaho citizens, farmers, ranchers and federal, state and local
agencies on such issues as identifying invasive plant species, weeds
or toxic plants.
The herbarium is stored in museum-quality cabinets and organized
phylogenetically, which means that specimens are grouped by family
according to evolutionary relationships. To borrow specimens for
research or to visit the collection, researchers and students and
others can make arrangements by contacting one of the Curators or
the Museum Registrar.
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