Delaware State University

The Claude E. Phillips Herbarium

VISION 2010 – PATH TO PRE-EMINENCE

MISSION: The primary purpose of the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium (DOV) is:

documentation
research
education

on wild and cultivated flora, particularly of the Delmarva Peninsula. The Herbarium seeks to maintain, provide access to, and augment its extensive collection of vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, lichens, fungi, algae, and fossil plants. In addition, the Herbarium supports research, teaching, and extension activities in such fields as systematics, economic botany, conservation, and biodiversity studies.

VISION STATEMENT: The Claude E. Phillips Herbarium is recognized in Index Herbariorum, an international registry of herbaria. It seeks to continue and develop the scientific documentation and monitoring of:

plants used in research at the cooperating institutions and societies
plants from community and state forests, refuges, and parks
endangered, threatened, and rare plants for Natural Heritage Programs
plants of wetlands, particularly those affected by agricultural drainage and development
weeds and other invasive species for farm, garden, forest, refuge, and park personnel
poisonous plants for physicians and veterinarians
plants classified as "controlled substances" for law enforcement agencies and the legal profession

· horticulturally important plants from nurserymen, Cooperative Extension personnel, plant societies, farmers, and gardeners

· slides and herbarium specimens to prepare illustrations for publications

heritage plants at private historic sites and state and national parks

· plants in elementary, secondary, college, and university curricula

As well, the Herbarium seeks to train undergraduate and graduate students in diverse approaches to research on plants. In this way, the Herbarium will help to ensure that future generations will have citizens and professionals knowledgeable about plants.

VALUES: DOV is a cooperative herbarium, under signed Memoranda of Understanding, with the following and provides the scientific basis for their statements and publications on plants:

Delaware Dept. of Agriculture
Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
Delaware Nature Society
Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the USDA
University of Delaware
Wesley College

Formal and informal links also exist with, The Society of Natural History of Delaware, The Herb Society of America, International Herb Association, and Delaware Herb Growers & Marketers Association.

Three attributes make the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium unique:

It is the only herbarium in the world that cooperates with several federal, state, and private institutions through signed memoranda of understanding.
It is the only public herbarium on the Delmarva Peninsula.
It is the largest herbarium at a Historically Black College or University.

Other relevant facts about the Herbarium are as follows:

With about 130,000 plant specimens, it ranks ca. 87 out of 535 herbaria in the U.S.
It documents plants dating back to 1799.
It has a comprehensive, worldwide representation of plant families.
It houses a collection of over 2500 books and numerous issues of 73 different periodicals. The oldest book was published in 1737 and the periodicals date back to the 19^th century.
It houses collections of photographic slides (35 mm) on the flora of North America.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE FOR VISION 2010: The Claude E. Phillips Herbarium will become the premier regional, national, and international source on all aspects of our mission statement.

GOAL 1: Develop the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium to provide support for all branches of NRCS of the USDA:

· Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

· Farmland Protection Program (FIP)

· Wetland Reserve Program (WRP)

· Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

· Forestry Incentives Program (FIP)

· Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

· Conservation Plant Materials

· National Resources Inventory (NRI)

· Resource Conservation and Development Program (RC&D)

· Watershed Surveys and Planning (PL-566)

· Flood Plain Management Studies (FPMS)

A. Visit and interview all branches of NRCS as to needs.

B. Provide scientific support in herbarium and library for activities of all branches of NRCS.

C. Train students to collect seeds for conservation programs.

GOAL 2: Develop the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium to be recognized by the Poison Control Center, physicians, veterinarians, and lawyers as providing expert identification on the identification of plants and their active constituents.

A. Expand library and herbarium holdings on poisonous and medicinal plants.

B. Invite participation of appropriate agencies to direct our expertise.

GOAL 3: Develop the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium to provide educational activities for pre-K to retirement.

A. Update existing web page to include: (1) Plants for Kids (activities primarily aimed at the elementary school age); (2) science fair projects with plants; (3) outdoor classrooms; (4) rare, threatened, and endangered plants of Delmarva; and (5) invasive plants on Delmarva.

B. Inventory all books and periodicals in Herbarium, label with LOC numbers, and create web page.

C. Provide appropriate links on web page.

D. Interview state agencies (Project Learning Tree of DDA, Delaware Department of Education, Envirothon, 4H, State Extension Outreach, Delaware Teach Center) as to needs of plants in the classroom.

E. Develop educational modules on plants for Delaware elementary school teachers.

F. Support existing agricultural programs (e.g., weed identification) in Delaware agricultural curricula.

G. Train D.S.U. students to provide programs on plants in Delaware schools.

H. Arrange in-service days with Delaware teachers.

I. Create interactive activities for visits to Herbarium.

J. Host periodic lectures, symposia, and displays on plant topics of public interest (e.g., carnivorous plants, poisonous and drug plants, plants in religion, plants in art, etc.).

K. Provide activities for Farm Week at D.S.U.

L. Provide support for development of the D.S.U. College Woods Nature Trail as an outdoor classroom for Kent Co.

GOAL 4: Develop the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium to support the graduate program in the M.S. in Plant Systematics at Delaware State University.

A. Invite participation of National Arboretum and Longwood Gardens.

B. Revise existing course offerings to better reflect expertise of staff.

C. Create an HBCU center for minorities in plant systematics with Howard University, etc.

GOAL 5: Provide much-needed expertise in identification for farmers, home gardeners, the nursery industry, and the medicinal plant industry.

A. Create a web page of how to make a herbarium specimen, cartoon-style with photographs and./or link to similar web pages of other herbaria.

B. Continue to provide free identification to all cooperating agencies and non-profit groups on Delmarva.

C. Contact National Arboretum, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Bailey Hortorium, etc. to create a cooperative herbarium linkage for Herb Society of America.

D. Extend to include International Herb Association, Perennial Plant Society, Hardy Plant Society, American Herbal Products Association, American Spice Trade Association, etc.

E. Continue to expand library holdings of floras, monographs, and revisions.

GOAL 6: Conduct research on the systematics, chemistry, economic importance, and human uses of plants.

A. Organize existing reprints, journals, and books in an easily accessed database.

B. Assess existing equipment for research goals.

C. Expand holdings of library and equipment as needed.

GOAL 7: Ensure the financial growth and stability of the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium.

A. Expand current endowment to eventually support staff, subscriptions, books, and supplies.

B. Seek grants to support further development of documentation, research, and education.

C. Seek funds for a separate library annex, with appropriate environmental parameters, for the book and periodical collection.

D. Seek additional cooperative agencies.