The Berry College Herbarium (BCH)

Site Under Development

The Berry College Herbarium is a collection of plant specimens catalogued and stored in room 359 of McAllister Hall. A searchable link to the collection can be found at the SERNEC portal https://sernecportal.org/portal/collections/index.php (to search our collection alone, first deselect other herbaria and then select the Berry College Herbarium).

Some details about the collection:

The collection is comprised of >2500 specimens. Many of the specimens were obtained by students and faculty primarily from Berry College’s 27,000-acre campus. The collection is comprised of about 124 families, 377 genera, and 695 species (750 total taxa, including subspecies and varieties). Other contributions to the general collection are primarily from the greater Floyd County, GA region.

Of the specimens in the herbarium, about 25% have been georeferenced, and nearly all have been photographed to produce high-resolution images. Over 90% have been identified to species (although we welcome suggested corrections and identifications submitted through the SERNEC portal). Presently, the collection is curated by Dr. Martin Cipollini and students in the department of Biology (mcipollini@berry.edu). Most physical specimens are housed in a general teaching collection organized by plant family, and are available to the public by contacting Dr. Cipollini. The general collection is maintained primarily for use in teaching and field research at Berry College. A small research library is also housed in MAC359

What is so special about the Berry College campus?

With its large size and varied natural, semi-natural, and man-made habitats, the Berry College campus is renowned as a place of great beauty and biodiversity. Further, its biodiverse land base and excellent facilities for plant studies (greenhouses, nursery, tissue culture labs, etc.) support diverse work-study opportunities for students and countless options for outdoor recreation and research.

Special collections (link as a separate page)

In addition to the general collection, several special plant collections are also maintained in the Berry College Herbarium:

1) Flora of Berry College’s mountain longleaf pine ecosystem (project description: www.berrylongleaf.com).

2) Flora of Berry College’s Martha’s Meadow botanical reserve (a xeric limestone barrens; project description: https://www.berry.edu/academics/majors/biology/marthas-meadows),

3) Castanea (chestnut) species of Georgia (made in collaboration with the GA Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation; see www.acf.org/ga)

4) A collection of Solanum (nightshade) species primarily from the neotropics.

5) The lifetime collection of Georgia botanist Marie Mellinger (see also http://sclfind.galib.uga.edu/sclfind/view?docId=ead/ms3754.xml;query=;brand=default). (Note: This collection was donated to Berry College by local botanist Richard Ware, has not been catalogued, and occupies about one full herbarium cabinet. Access to this collection can be arranged by e-mailing Dr. Cipollini. Suggestions for a more appropriate dispensation of this collection will be entertained.)

The Berry College Arboretum

The herbarium is associated with Berry College’s campus Arboretum project. Click here https://www.berry.edu/community/campus-use-and-recreation/arboretum for a link to the college’s arboretum web site, and here https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/edit?mid=1E57if_ytkCU58dRsQSWzx0ZjL-Q&ll=34.290204937266616%2C-85.189884185791&z=16 for a link to an interactive map of the trees of the main campus.

Short photo gallery is needed.  What types of images ought to be used? What species ought to be highlighted?

Key Plant Families of the Berry College Campus

Follow these links for short illustrated treatments of the 15 most speciose plant families found on our campus:

Monocots: Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Juncaceae, Liliaceae and relatives, Orchidaceae, and Iridaceae

Dicots: Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae and relatives, Apiaceae, Ranunculaceae, Brassicaceae, Rubiaceae, Fagaceae

(link the above plant family names to the individual *.docx files provided by the students).

Other links and files (provided by Richard and Teresa Ware):

Rare Communities and Plants of Floyd County (link to excel file)

Flora of the Berry Schools (link to excel file)

Flora of Floyd County (link to excel file)

Guide to Wildflowers and Trees of Northwest Georgia and Adjacent States http://www.ngaflora.com/?fbclid=IwAR0iOK6h0FequUp1Mt2J__bC-wcVh5DR6Is1a6cbNLS6JbYQNN7-lR-zOMY

(all of the web site addresses should be embedded links)

(the Excel and *.docx files should be uploaded and housed as separate files).