In total there are approximately 275,000 vascular plant specimens in ILLS, all of which have been databased. Our data is accessible to the public at the Consortium of Midwest Herbaria. Approximately 80% of the ILLS specimens were collected in Illinois, including a significant number of Illinois Threatened and Endangered species. ILLS also sizable holdings of specimens collected in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park (GSMNP) as well as Kyrgyzstan and China.
The earliest vascular plant specimen, donated by the University of Wisconsin, is Aquilegia canadensis L. collected in Decatur, Illinois by Foster Waltz on May 17, 1843. Important collections in the ILLS herbarium include G.H. Boewe, J.C. Carter, J.L. Crane, R.A. Evers, S.R. Hill, H.S. Pepoon, L.R. Phillippe, C. Robertson, J.B. Taft, L.M. Umbach and A.G. Vestal. Incorporated herbaria include collections from Shawnee National Forest and Eureka College. During initial review of the Eureka College materials, we found early specimens collected in the late 1800’s from Gittings Seminary, Peoria High School, and the Illinois Natural History Society.