| The Claude E. Phillips Herbarium houses a collection of 145,000 plant specimens from around the world dating back to 1799. The collection includes vascular plants, mosses, lichens, fungi, algae, and fossil plants, in addition to a library of botanical books and journals. This reference collection is a resource aiding herbarium staff in the identification of native, invasive, and economically important plants. Also, information about plants is provided to the public and scientific communities for pursuits such as cultivation of herbs, landscaping, management of weedy and invasive plants, and conservation of rare plants. The Herbarium provides botanical education to Delawareans as well as to international visitors, including students, teachers, scientists, farmers, gardeners, legislators, physicians, and lawyers. Not only is the Claude E. Phillips Herbarium the only public herbarium on the Delmarva Peninsula, it is the largest herbarium at a Historically Black College or University. It is the only cooperative herbarium with signed memoranda of understanding with ten federal, state, and private institutions. Formal and informal links also exist with The Society of Natural History of Delaware, The Herb Society of America, International Herb Association, and Delaware Herb Growers & Marketers Association. |
