The Herbarium tells the fascinating story of how herbaria began, what they are, how they have figured in the exploration of the natural world, what important contributions they have made, and how they function today. Barbara Thiers discusses how herbaria are under threat today and why we should care about their preservation. The book is heavily illustrated with photographs and unique historical material from the collection at The New York Botanical Garden, which is the second-largest herbarium in the world.


As the Director of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, Barbara Thiers is responsible for overseeing the Garden’s 7.8 million collections of vascular plants, algae, bryophytes, and fungi and the 30 staff members who manage these collections. The Steere Herbarium is the largest in the Western Hemisphere, and second largest in the world. Her studies have taken her to Australia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.