Herbarium

EEB Museums Spring 2026 Newsletter: Inside the Collections

Featured Fungus Specimen A cluster of "ghostly" golden chanterelles, Cantharellus phasmatis M.J. Foltz & T.J. Volk. Part of a cryptic species complex, this species was originally described from the driftless region of western Wisconsin. Foltz has recently confirmed using molecular techniques that populations exist here in Michigan, including the Washtenaw county specimens pictured here. Golden chanterelles are highly sought-after for their culinary value. The University of Michigan Herbarium holds over 1500 collections of Cantharellus as part of a fungal collection estimated to contain at least 285,000 specimens. Photo: M.J. Foltz

Featured Moss Specimen MICH houses 2100 specimens of the widespread moss genus Brachythecium Schimp., which is named for its relatively short and thick capsules. In Michigan, Brachythecium is represented by ca. 15 species, which are documented at MICH by 307 collections.

Featured Algae Specimen The type specimen of Pseudogrinnellia barrattiae M.J. Wynne (phylum Rhodophyta), described from Wadi Forh, Sultanate of Oman, northern Arabian Sea (Wynne 1999). This specimen has sori of sporangia scattered over the blade surface. This alga is one of approximately 106,000 specimens of algae in MICH.

Featured Vascular Plant Specimen Marsh thistle (Cirsium muticum) is a native thistle that grows in moist to wet areas throughout Michigan. The deep rose-purple flowers and the weak spines make this species one of the most attractive thistles occurring in the state. Specimens of this species are included in the 1.1 million vascular plant collections in MICH.

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Recent News

U-M Herbarium Spotlight: Winners of a 2026 AI Institutes at Michigan (AIIM) Empowering Research with AI First Place Award

Brad Ruhfel, Will Weaver, Kyle Lough, and Stephen Smith's project "AI-Driven Transcription of Herbarium Specimens: Scalable Workflows for Biodiversity Data Mobilization" is a First Prize Winner

Congratulations to Tim James for being elected as a 2025 AAAS Fellow!

The American Association for the Advancement of Science announced 449 members of the 2025 class, elected for their “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially distinguished.”

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The University of Michigan Herbarium is home to some of the finest botanical collections in the world. The 1.7 million specimens of vascular plants, algae, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens combined with the expertise of the faculty-curators, students, and staff provide a world-class facility for teaching and research in systematic biology and biodiversity studies.

Michigan Flora Featured Plant April 2026

Photo Credit: B.S. Slaughter

Liatris squarrosa - This is well known immediately to the south in Ohio, and should be looked for in southeastern Michigan. Learn More

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Michigan Flora Online

The Michigan Flora Website presents information about all vascular plants known to occur outside of cultivation. Information includes distribution maps, identification keys, discussions of species occurrence, and specimens documented.

Michigan Flora Website

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