We are happy to share a portion of our collections online with researchers and visitors. Within this Collections Portal you can browse selected highlights that staff have put together, or browse and search by collection type.
Please note that what you see here does not represent the entirety of our collections and we are continually adding new records. Feel free to contact us if you are searching for something specific or have questions about our holdings.
The McDougall Herbarium at MNA currently holds 55 botanical type specimens (only 52 are currently displayed here). Type specimens are considered our most valuable collections since they are the specimens that were examined when first describing a species new to science. There are several different classifications of type specimens featured here:
Holotype – The single specimen used to describe a new species that clearly illustrates the features that distinguish the species as unique.
Isotype – A duplicate of the holotype. Many MNA botany holotypes were sent to The Smithsonian Institution herbarium and the isotypes are kept in the MNA Herbarium.
Syntype – Specimens listed in the original description of the species when a holotype was not designated.
Paratype – Other specimens that were used in the describing of the species that were mentioned in the original description.
Topotype – A specimen collected from the same locality as the holotype at a different point in time.
Click "Share this Page" to create a linkable URL to share with others.