United States National Herbarium (US-Botany)

The United States National Herbarium was founded in 1848, when the first collections were accessioned from the United States Exploring Expedition (50,000 specimens of 10,000 species). Current holdings total 5 million specimens, making this collection among the ten largest in the world representing about 8% of the plant collection resources of the United States. The herbarium is especially rich in type specimens (@110,000).
Contacts: Rusty Russell, Collections Manager, russellr@si.edu
Collection Type: Preserved Specimens
Management: Data snapshot of local collection database
Last Update: 6 May 2014
Digital Metadata: EML File
Collection Statistics
  • 238,399 specimen records
  • 48,651 (20%) georeferenced
  • 47,384 (20%) with images (47,384 total images)
  • 172,766 (72%) identified to species
  • 545 families
  • 4,191 genera
  • 36,612 species
  • 38,873 total taxa (including subsp. and var.)
Extra Statistics
Taxon Distribution
Taxon Distribution
  • Aa (30)
  • Acacallis (1)
  • Acianthera (1)
  • Acineta (2)
  • Acostaea (2)
  • Acronia (37)
  • Ada (1)
  • Aganisia (12)
  • Altensteinia (24)
  • Amblostoma (7)
  • Anacamptis (1)
  • Anathallis (5)
  • Arpophyllum (12)
  • Aspasia (33)
  • Aspidogyne (33)
  • Barbosella (13)
  • Barkeria (28)
  • Baskervilla (6)
  • Batemannia (3)
  • Beadlea (4)
  • Beloglottis (4)
  • Bifrenaria (9)
  • Bletia (83)
  • Bollea (2)
  • Bothriochilus (1)
  • Brachionidium (10)
  • Brachtia (2)
  • Brachystele (20)
  • Braemia (3)
  • Brasilocycnis (1)
  • Brassavola (80)
  • Brassia (76)
  • Buchtienia (3)
  • Bulbophyllum (45)
  • Calanthe (10)
  • Camaridium (23)
  • Campylocentrum (74)
  • Capanemia (17)
  • Catasetum (85)
  • Cattleya (100)
  • Caucaea (8)
  • Caularthron (24)
  • Centropetalum (1)
  • Cephalanthera (1)
  • Chaubardia (2)
  • Cheiradenia (3)
  • Chelyorchis (12)
  • Chloraea (5)
  • Chondrorhyncha (14)
  • Chrysocycnis (3)
  • Chysis (2)
  • Cischweinfia (2)
  • Cleistes (63)
  • Clowesia (4)
  • Coccineorchis (1)
  • Cochleanthes (26)
  • Cochlioda (6)
  • Cohniella (7)
  • Comparettia (19)
  • Corallorhiza (1)
  • Coryanthes (7)
  • Corymborkis (17)
  • Cranichis (115)
  • Crocodeilanthe (3)
  • Crossoglossa (4)
  • Cryptarrhena (14)
  • Cryptocentrum (14)
  • Cryptophoranthus (5)
  • Cuitlauzina (12)
  • Cyanaeorchis (10)
  • Cyclopogon (46)
  • Cycnoches (13)
  • Cymbiglossum (1)
  • Cypholoron (1)
  • Cypripedium (11)
  • Cyrtidiorchis (2)
  • Cyrtochilum (14)
  • Cyrtopodium (87)
  • Deiregyne (2)
  • Dichaea (128)
  • Dimerandra (37)
  • Dinema (8)
  • Diothonea (4)
  • Dipteranthus (2)
  • Discyphus (1)
  • Dracula (10)
  • Dressleria (1)
  • Dryadella (15)
  • Duckeella (5)
  • Elleanthus (463)
  • Eltroplectris (3)
  • Encyclia (262)
  • Epidanthus (7)
  • Epidendrum (2398)
  • Epilyna (1)
  • Epistephium (70)
  • Eriopsis (15)
  • Erycina (1)
  • Erythrodes (21)
  • Eulophia (32)
  • Eurystyles (3)
  • Exalaria (12)
  • Fernandezia (30)
  • Funkiella (1)
  • Galeandra (39)
  • Galeottia (6)
  • Galeottiella (2)
  • Gomesa (11)
  • Gomphichis (72)
  • Gongora (49)
  • Goodyera (7)
  • Govenia (41)
  • Grobya (3)
  • Habenaria (455)
  • Hapalorchis (3)
  • Helcia (2)
  • Helleriella (1)
  • Heterotaxis (17)
  • Hexisea (15)
  • Hofmeisterella (2)
  • Horvatia (1)
  • Houlletia (7)
  • Huntleya (4)
  • Hybochilus (2)
  • Ionopsis (41)
  • Isochilus (64)
  • Jacquiniella (60)
  • Kefersteinia (10)
  • Koellensteinia (29)
  • Lacaena (4)
  • Laelia (11)
  • Lanium (17)
  • Lankesterella (1)
  • Leochilus (16)
  • Lepanthes (192)
  • Lepanthopsis (6)
  • Leptotes (5)
  • Ligeophila (8)
  • Liparis (61)
  • Lockhartia (80)
  • Lophiaris (6)
  • Lycaste (52)
  • Lycomormium (1)
  • Macradenia (1)
  • Macroclinium (5)
  • Malaxis (93)
  • Masdevallia (168)
  • Maxillaria (1009)
  • Meiracyllium (3)
  • Mesadenella (2)
  • Mesadenus (1)
  • Mesospinidium (2)
  • Microchilus (41)
  • Microstylis (1)
  • Miltonia (9)
  • Miltoniopsis (6)
  • Monophyllorchis (1)
  • Mormodes (14)
  • Mormolyca (11)
  • Myoxanthus (55)
  • Myrmecophila (8)
  • Myrosmodes (15)
  • Nageliella (4)
  • Neodryas (4)
  • Neowilliamsia (10)
  • Nidema (34)
  • Notylia (36)
  • Octomeria (114)
  • Odontoglossum (152)
  • Oeceoclades (9)
  • Oerstedella (118)
  • Oliveriana (3)
  • Oncidium (573)
  • Orleanesia (6)
  • Ornithidium (6)
  • Ornithocephalus (36)
  • Osmoglossum (13)
  • Otoglossum (11)
  • Otostylis (8)
  • Pachyphyllum (50)
  • Palmorchis (22)
  • Paphinia (2)
  • Paradisanthus (1)
  • Pelexia (24)
  • Peristeria (8)
  • Pescatorea (4)
  • Phragmipedium (43)
  • Phymatidium (10)
  • Physurus (4)
  • Pityphyllum (2)
  • Platanthera (1)
  • Platystele (53)
  • Platythelys (15)
  • Plectrophora (1)
  • Pleurothallis (1212)
  • Polycycnis (11)
  • Polystachya (114)
  • Ponera (11)
  • Ponthieva (118)
  • Porphyrostachys (7)
  • Porroglossum (2)
  • Prescottia (46)
  • Promenaea (1)
  • Prosthechea (217)
  • Pseudolaelia (3)
  • Psilochilus (11)
  • Psychopsis (1)
  • Psygmorchis (49)
  • Pterichis (12)
  • Reichenbachanthus (12)
  • Restrepia (15)
  • Restrepiopsis (1)
  • Rhyncholaelia (4)
  • Rhynchostele (12)
  • Rodriguezia (58)
  • Rossioglossum (13)
  • Rudolfiella (4)
  • Rusbyella (1)
  • Sacoila (4)
  • Salpistele (3)
  • Sarcoglottis (13)
  • Sauroglossum (4)
  • Scaphosepalum (25)
  • Scaphyglottis (380)
  • Scelochilus (5)
  • Schiedeella (9)
  • Schomburgkia (34)
  • Selenipedium (8)
  • Sertifera (8)
  • Sievekingia (3)
  • Sigmatostalix (38)
  • Sobralia (388)
  • Solenidiopsis (1)
  • Solenidium (1)
  • Sophronitis (4)
  • Specklinia (1)
  • Sphyrastylis (1)
  • Spiranthes (52)
  • Stanhopea (38)
  • Stelis (902)
  • Stellilabium (1)
  • Stenoptera (15)
  • Stenorrhynchos (98)
  • Symphyglossum (4)
  • Systeloglossum (6)
  • Teagueia (1)
  • Telipogon (45)
  • Teuscheria (2)
  • Ticoglossum (13)
  • Trichocentrum (6)
  • Trichoceros (11)
  • Trichopilia (50)
  • Trichosalpinx (14)
  • Trigonidium (47)
  • Triphora (6)
  • Trisetella (6)
  • Trizeuxis (28)
  • Tropidia (3)
  • Vanilla (103)
  • Warczewiczella (6)
  • Warrea (2)
  • Warreella (3)
  • Wullschlaegelia (23)
  • Xerorchis (6)
  • Xylobium (68)
  • Zelenkoa (2)
  • Zygopetalum (31)
  • Zygosepalum (9)
  • Zygostates (2)