Contact
The Herbarium is open weekdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm.
To schedule a visit, apply to volunteer, or ask about specimens and identification, please get in touch with us at:
Address: MSU Herbarium
Department of Plant Biology
Plant Biology Laboratories
612 Wilson Road, Room 166
East Lansing, MI, 48824
U.S.A.
Dr. L. Alan Prather (Director & Curator): alan@msu.edu
The MSU Herbarium can be difficult to find if you have never visited. Feel free to stop and ask for an escort or directions at the office of the Department of Plant Biology, located in room 166 close to the main entrance (off Wilson Road) of the Plant Biology Laboratories Building.
The MSU Herbarium is located in the Plant Biology Laboratories Building on the south side of Wilson Road between Farm Lane and Bogue Street. Visitor Parking is available on lots 46, 54, or the Wharton Center parking ramp. Visitors may be required to pay for parking either by meter or MSU's Spot On app.
The Plant Biology Laboratories building is connected at its east end to the Molecular Plant Sciences (MPS) building which is in turn connected on its south side to the Plant and Soil Sciences Building. It is easy to pass from building to building without realizing, so exercise caution when trying to find us.
**The herbarium is in the basement and only accessible by one stairwell, thus be sure to find the correct stairwell before descending to the basement.**
The only stairwell that will take you to the herbarium is located in the Teaching/Classroom wing of the building across from room 151. This stairway is marked with a small sign with the word "Herbarium" and a down arrow.
Entrance (A); For visitors coming from the east (e.g. parked in the Wharton Center): From the northeastern entrance of the Plant Biology Labs building (just west of the green brick Molecular Plant Sciences Building), enter through the glass doors, walk directly across a hallway and go through a set of glass doors into another hallway. Continue forward until you near the end of the hallway, where there is a stairway on your left (across from room 151). Take this stairwell down to the basement to reach the herbarium.
Entrance (B); For visitors coming from the west: From the west-side parking lot #46, located on the south side of Wilson Road: Enter through the southwest entrance of the Plant Biology Labs building, located at the entrance to the Horticultural Gardens. Enter and walk to continue past labs, through a set of doors, until the hallway ends. Turn right and continue through the main hallway, through a set of glass doors and past the Department of Plant Biology office (room 166) on your left. After you pass through a second set of glass doors, jog left and continue forward until you reach a set of glass doors to a side hallway on your right. Enter that hallway into the Teaching/Classroom wing. Continue forward until you near the end of the hallway, where there is a stairway on your left (across from room 151). Take this stairwell down to the basement to reach the herbarium.
Entrance (C) For visitors coming from the south, through the gardens (e.g. parked in the Children’s Garden lot #54): Walk north through the gardens, keeping the greenhouses on your right. At a small, circular plaza where four paths meet, turn right (due north), keeping the greenhouses on your right and a Hosta garden and the Center for Integrated Plant Systems entrance on your left. The Plant Biology Labs Building will be the three-story, red brick building directly in front of you. As you near a fountain set into the ground keep right and walk towards the right-side (eastern) edge of the building where you can enter a door by two medium-sized magnolia trees. Enter this door, which leads to a hallway. Take the second door on your right and take the stairs down to the basement to reach the herbarium.