Collection Background

The herbarium presently contains over a thousand collections of pressed, dried plant specimens that were gathered on the refuge during early plant surveys undertaken after the creation of the refuge. The first preliminary plant survey was conducted by Neil Hotchkiss and Robert E. Stewart during the years 1936-1946. At that time the refuge was approximately 2600 acres in size.

In 1979, William H. Stickel republished the original list, which included an addendum of plants on the refuge that were not listed in the earlier survey. The following lists represent the plants from the two previous reports, and at least 25 new plants not previously reported. All plants have received updated taxonomy and are arranged in phylogenetic order (alphabetic within genera).

It is recognized that some species on this list may no longer occur on the refuge. Many plants from other parts of the country were introduced to Patuxent Research Refuge during the early decades. These introductions include wetland plants for the waterfowl impoundment studies, and upland plants, for the farm game management program. Those that have been identified during the 1980s and 1990s are identified in bold type. Plants that have specimens in the herbarium are indicated by the date of the specimen. Plants marked by an asterisk are not native to North America.

Plant specimens have been added periodically to the collection by the staff and the herbarium is maintained with the assistance of a staff of volunteers. The herbarium offers an exceptional reference collection of plants occurring in the area lying between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington D.C.

Contact persons for the herbarium include:

Dr. Matthew C. Perry
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
11410 American Holly Drive
Laurel, MD 20708-4015

or email to:
Rudy_Benavides@usgs.gov
or
Matt_Perry@usgs.gov
Click here for more information about Matt Perry

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