Eckert Herbarium
Welcome
The Eckert Herbarium is named for Theodore Eckert, botanist and professor at Buffalo State College. His specimens, primarily from western New York and Long Island, formed the basis of the original collection. Drs. James D. Haynes, Eric A. Randall and Carol R. Sweeney were also significant contributors. In 2009, the Eckert Herbarium incorporated the Herbarium of Niagara University which was renamed the Dr. Carol R. Sweeney Collection.
The focus of the herbarium is the plants of western New York, however some collections come from other parts of the country. While the bulk of the herbarium dates from the 1960s and 70s, the oldest specimens in the collection date to 1902. A strength of the Eckert Herbarium is the James D. Haynes Mycological Collection which features approximately 2500 specimens of fungi from New York State. This unique collection is a tribute to an important and underappreciated facet of New York state's biodiversity. Download a complete listing of the Haynes Collection (.xls, 702 kb).
The Eckert Herbarium is located in Room 250A in the Science Building on the Buffalo State College campus. It is open Thursdays 9-3 from October to May or by appointment. For additional information, contact Dr. Daniel Potts.
The Herbarium Database: A Simple Database for Botanical Collections
The Herbarium Database, an application for Microsoft Access, is used to create a simple, searchable database of herbarium specimens. In addition, the application allows the user the printing of specimen labels from records in the database. Its creators believe that the Herbarium Database may be most appropriately used in personal and small institutional herbaria. Download the Herbarium Database (.mdb, 532 kb) and A Simplified Guide to the Herbarium Database (.pdf, 91 kb). The Eckert Herbarium and the Biology Department at Buffalo State College extend sincere thanks and deep appreciation to Peter Crane of Amherst, New York who devoted many hours to programming the Herbarium Database.
Flowering Plants of Western New York
Photography by Lincoln Nutting
Flowering Plants of Western New York is a portfolio of 495 photographs of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and vines growing without cultivation in Western New York state. The portfolio frequently includes several images of a species including habitat views, general views, and detailed views of the inflorescence, flowers, and fruits. This non-technical resource is intended for use by educators, students, and naturalists. To assist this audience, the portfolio employs the two popular field guides to the flora of the Northeastern United States; Wildflowers of Northeastern/North Central North America (Roger Tory Peterson, 1968) and the Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Lawrence Newcomb, 1977). Enter the portfolio here.
