What’s There: More than 65,000 plant specimens that have been dried, pressed, and carefully catalogued. The herbarium, one of 105 in the United States deemed to be a National Resource Collection by the American Society of Plant Toxonomists, is the only one within the Mojave Desert. The specimens come from researchers who painstakingly note the plant’s characteristics and location from which it was gathered. “The specimen is only as valuable as the collection data that comes with it. Otherwise it’s just a pretty plant mounted on paper,” Collections Manager Kathryn Birgy says.
Its Origins: Biological sciences professor Wesley E. Niles, now semiretired, founded the herbarium when he came to UNLV in 1970. “For a relatively young herbarium, we’ve done quite well at amassing a midsized collection,” Niles says. “Early on we decided to create a computer database; it’s very, very rare for an herbarium to have its entire collection on computer.” He hopes to soon have the database available online.
Outreach: The herbarium’s primary mission is to assist researchers, but its staff also fields questions from the general public on the identity of a plant. Many callers want to know if the plant is an invasive or poisonous species. Staff members also frequently make presentations to local hobbyists and schoolchildren.
One of Niles’ Favorites: Carefully glued to a sheet of acid-free paper is Eriogonum corymbosum var. nilesii, a plant from the buckwheat family named for Niles. The rare plant, found near the Corn Creek Wash west of Decatur Boulevard, is a candidate for the state’s protected species list.
More Info: The hebarium, located in White Hall, Room 305, is generally open Monday- Thursday mornings. Call ahead to verify, 702- 895-3098. Online, visit biology.unlv.edu.
