Digitization
Our digitized specimens are available in the locations below:
| Database | Number of specimens |
| Vascular Plants: iDigBio, Symbiota (You may need to search both of these) | iDigBio: 65,326; Symbiota: 77,300 |
| Lichens | 116,417 |
| Bryophytes | 22,261 |
| Macroalgae | 4,331 |
| Microfungi | 30,119 |
| Type Specimens | 1,918 |
Information on databases may not be up to date; please contact us for most recent information and for any custom or specific searches.
The MSU Herbarium is in the process digitizing specimens; that is imaging them, transcribing their labels, and then making these data available online. This process is aided by our dedicated and greatly-appreciated volunteers. If you have access to internet and a passion for plants, you can become a volunteer too! Visit our Get Involved page for details. While digital specimens cannot replace physical ones, they are creating many new research and learning opportunities. As the number of specimens held by herbaria grows, this accumulation of data allows researchers to quickly collect tremendous amounts of data, answering big questions about biodiversity, conservation, and climate.
Citation
Please cite all uses of these data (see below or refer to the originating website's instructions for citations) and inform us of any publication that uses these data in any way. If possible, please send us a reprint or .pdf.
Citation for Lichen Database (GBIF):
Prather L A, Prather L A (2020). Michigan State University Herbarium Lichens. Michigan State University Herbarium. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/mym4z7 accessed via GBIF.org on [insert date here].
Citation for Vascular Plant Database (GBIF):
Prather L A, Chansler M (2020). Michigan State University Herbarium Vascular Plants. Version 6.2. Michigan State University Herbarium. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/iv6y8m accessed via GBIF.org on [insert date here].
