The Black Hills State University Herbarium is a research/museum facility with approximately 50,000 specimens of vascular plants. The specimens are primarily dried, pressed plants mounted on archival quality paper with labels containing the scientific name of the plant, locality and date of collection, the collectors name and collection number, and often information about the habitat in which the plant was growing. The specimens are filed in insect-proof cabinets in systematic order.
The Herbarium is one of the two largest in South Dakota, including the largest collection of the distinctive vascular flora of the ecologically unique Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. Herbarium specimens are essential to allow studies of plant diversity, changes of vegetation in an area over time, changes in blooming dates, comparisons of the flora of different geographic areas, and provide material for studies of morphology, anatomy, pollen and DNA. Specimens are routinely used for identification of plant species by workers from various organizations or private individuals. In addition to vascular plants, the Herbarium also holds collections of fungi, bryophytes, lichens and fossil plants (see Collections).
Library
The Herbarium Library contains hundreds of books, reprints and journals. The Library is accessible during the hours that the Herbarium is open. Although materials are not loaned for use outside the Herbarium Library, visitors are welcome to use the materials here. For more information, or to arrange a visit, please contact the Herbarium staff.
Services
The Herbarium is available for use by qualified individuals. Specimens are available on loan to recognized botanical institutions engaged in taxonomic research. While we frequently identify plants for private individuals with no charge, a fee-based plant identification service is provided to various companies, agencies and individuals not part of BHSU and not involved in systematic research. For further details, contact the curator.