Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Blogs by Mason Heberling

Mason Heberling is the assistant curator in the Section of Botany and co-chair of collections at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Heberling is a plant ecologist and botanist whose research explores plant functional strategies in deciduous forest understories, especially in the context
of environmental change. Much of his current research focuses on the ecology
and evolution of non-native, invasive plants in the eastern United States, the ecophysiological strategies of the herbaceous layer in deciduous forests, and the impacts of climate change on the timing of leafing out and flowering in temperate deciduous forests.

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Collected on this Day in 1949

herbarium specimen of Japanese stiltgrass, 1981

Collected on November 17, 1949, this specimen was found by Bayard Long in Delaware. Native to east Asia, Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) was introduced by accident to Knoxville, Tennessee around 1919 when it was used as packing material for porcelain dishes from China. It has since become a major invasive species, spreading across forests of eastern North America. It is commonly found along trails, forest roads, and floodplains. It has been shown to be facilitated by deer overabundance. A recent study of unconventional gas well pads (hydraulic fracturing) in Pennsylvania by Penn State researchers found that recent hydraulic fracturing activities facilitates stiltgrass invasion (Barlow et al., 2017 Journal of Environmental Management).

herbarium specimen of Japanese stiltgrass, 1949

Botanists at Carnegie Museum of Natural History share pieces of the herbarium’s historical hidden collection on the dates they were discovered or collected. Check back for more!

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Collected on this Day in 1933

This specimen isn’t your typical herbarium specimen of Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). On November 4, 1933, this piece of sassafras wood was collected by Otto Jennings at Linn Run/Rock Run, about five miles south of Ligonier, Pennsylvania.  
It is unclear what motivated this collection, since Jennings did not normally collect wood like this. Given its bulky size, it is stored separately with the fruit collection in the herbarium.  

This specimen isn’t your typical herbarium specimen of Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). On November 4, 1933, this piece of sassafras wood was collected by Otto Jennings at Linn Run/Rock Run, about five miles south of Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

It is unclear what motivated this collection, since Jennings did not normally collect wood like this. Given its bulky size, it is stored separately with the fruit collection in the herbarium.

Sassafras is a medium-sized deciduous tree, native across eastern North America. It is easily recognized by its uniquely mitten-shaped leaves. The leaves are very aromatic when crushed in your hand, like many other species in the Laurel family (Lauraceae). They also turn a beautiful red in fall. Sassafras has long been used by humans for medicine and food, both by Native Americans and later Europeans.

Ever wonder where the root in root beer comes from?  Root beer was traditionally made from sassafras roots or bark. But, since 1960, sassafras is no longer used in commercially made root beers. The FDA has shown safrole (the aromatic oil in sassafras roots and bark) to cause liver damage and/or cancer in high doses to laboratory animals. Many commercial root beers nowadays use artificial flavors.

Ever wonder where the root in root beer comes from?  Root beer was traditionally made from sassafras roots or bark. But, since 1960, sassafras is no longer used in commercially made root beers. The FDA has shown safrole (the aromatic oil in sassafras roots and bark) to cause liver damage and/or cancer in high doses to laboratory animals. Many commercial root beers nowadays use artificial flavors.

Botanists at Carnegie Museum of Natural History share pieces of the herbarium’s historical hidden collection on the dates they were discovered or collected. Check back for more!

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Collected on this Day in 1926

This red maple specimen was collected on October 23, 1926 by Otto Jennings during a field trip of the Botanical Society of Western PA to Chestnut Ridge.

Despite being over 90 years old, this specimen still has beautiful color! This red maple specimen was collected on October 23, 1926 by Otto Jennings during a field trip of the Botanical Society of Western PA to Chestnut Ridge in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. Red maple (Acer rubrum) is one of the most common trees in eastern North America. You can find it from southern Canada down to Florida and Minnesota down to eastern Texas. It is renowned for its beautiful scarlet red foliage in autumn. Happy fall!

Red maple is renowned for its bright red foliage in the autumn.

Botanists at Carnegie Museum of Natural History share pieces of the herbarium’s historical hidden collection on the dates they were discovered or collected. Check back for more!

Carnegie Museum of Natural History Blog Citation Information

Blog author: Heberling, Mason
Publication date: October 23, 2017

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Collected on this Day in 1997

Kudzu is one of the more well-known weeds, at least by name, sometimes known as “the vine that ate the South.”

Kudzu is one of the more
well-known weeds, at least by name, sometimes known as “the vine that ate the
South.”

Collected on October 13, 1997, this specimen was found by Sue Thompson and
Bonnie Isaac near the I-376 Squirrel Hill Tunnel, Pittsburgh. Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was introduced to the
United States as an ornamental plant in 1876 at the Centennial International
Exhibition in Philadelphia. The vine was initially prized in the South to
provide shade.

The vine was later promoted
for use in erosion control.  Although
listed as a noxious weed in Pennsylvania, it is more invasive in southern
states. There, it has been estimated to spread at a rate of 2,500 acres per
year (some say up to 150,000 acres per year, although this estimate has been
questioned).

Infestations of this plant undoubtedly cause ecological and
economic damage. Below is another specimen of kudzu, collected in its native
range in Japan in 2002.

Botanists at Carnegie Museum of Natural History share
pieces of the herbarium’s historical hidden collection on the dates they were
discovered or collected. Check back for more!

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Collected on this Day in 1896

Collected on this day in 1896, a specimen of New England Aster.

Collected on this Day in 1896

Collected on October 6, 1896 (the same year Carnegie Museum was founded), this specimen was found by early museum botanist John Shafer on Jack’s Island, a small island on the Allegheny River (between Harrison Township and city of Lower Burrell).

Despite the name, New England aster can be found across eastern North America.  Along with many other species in the genus Aster, this species was recently reclassified in the Symphyotrichum genus. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is a perennial (lives for several years) with beautiful deep blue-purple flowers. Like other plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), the flowers are actually a cluster of flowers (heads) composed of many flowers, with ray and/or disk flowers.

New England Aster in nature.

Photo caption: View of Jack’s Island from Braeburn (Lower Burrell), PA.  New England aster might still be on the island, but note the dense stands of invasive giant knotweed that now lines the river and island. Introduced to the United States as a garden plant in 1894, Giant knotweed (Fallopia sachilinensis) was not yet in our area when this aster specimen was collected in 1896.

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Collected on this Day in 1900

herbarium specimen of white wood aster

North America used to have over 150 species in the genus Aster. But now only one species remains. That isn’t because they went extinct, but instead, they were re-named. Many of these species are still referred to in general as “asters.”

Collected on September 22, 1900, this specimen was found in Fern Hollow, Frick Park, Pittsburgh by early museum botanist John Shafer.

Eurybia divaricata (formerly Aster divaricatus) is commonly known as “white wood aster.” This beautiful fall blooming plant (like many asters) is a common native in eastern United States forests.

So why the new name? Taxonomy (the science of classifying organisms) is an ever-changing science, subject to revision as more research is done, especially at the molecular (DNA) level. As we understand how organisms are related, we can better understand the history of life on Earth. Taxonomic studies of plants often lead to the splitting of one species into many or the lumping of many species into one. In some cases, a “new” rare species may have been hiding under our noses, previously grouped with another species. These studies are important for the conservation and protection of vulnerable species. We must know what these species are to actually protect them!

Like most herbaria (plural for herbarium), the Carnegie Museum herbarium is organized by genus within families. Earlier this year, collections manager Bonnie Isaac and a team of interns and volunteers reorganized the sunflower family (Asteraceae), one of the largest families of flowering plants. After a month of reorganizing and renaming folders, the work is still ongoing. No surprise, as this family is represented by over 51,000 specimens (or about 10% of the entire collection)! Ongoing taxonomic rearrangements like these are just one reason why the work of herbarium staff is never done.

blooming white wood aster, white petals with yellow and red centers
White wood aster blooming on August 31, 2017 at Fern Hollow, Frick Park (same location as specimen pictured).

 

Botanists at Carnegie Museum of Natural History share pieces of the herbarium’s historical hidden collection on the dates they were discovered or collected. Check back for more!