Herbarium

The OSU Herbarium contains approximately 157,000 vascular plant specimens, about two-thirds of which were collected in Oklahoma and surrounding states. The oldest specimen dates from 1843, and the collection contains 300 type specimens.

 

Since its establishment in 1920, it has been curated by Henry Ira Featherly (1925-1937), Robert Stratton (1937-1949), Umalde Theodore (“Ted”) Waterfall (1949-1971), and Ronald Tyrl (1972-2008). Since 2009, Mark Fishbein has been the herbarium director. The herbarium houses a seed/fruit collection, cryptogamic collection, and botanical library.

 

The Oklahoma State University Herbarium is a member of the Texas-Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria (TORCH). Access to images and specimen records for collections made in Oklahoma and Texas is provided through the TORCH portal, supported by the National Science Foundation. Specimen records for collections made in Oklahoma can also be accessed through the Oklahoma Vascular Plants Database, supported by the National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, and Oklahoma Biological Survey. In addition to the TORCH portal, images and associated data for type specimens can be accessed through JSTOR Global Plants, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.