Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

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Collected in 1840: Holly

By Mason Heberling

holly plant in snow

Are you decking your halls with boughs of holly? Probably not holly from 178 years ago! This holly specimen (Ilex aquifolia) was collected in 1840 in England.  I think the label says it was collected by “Prof. Sager,” but it is hard to read!

holly specimen

How did it end up at the Carnegie Museum herbarium?  This specimen was part of the private herbarium of Jacob Wolle, who was the grandfather of William J. Holland, one of the first directors of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (from 1901-1922). The CM herbarium has 2,514 specimens from Wolle’s collection, dating as far back as 1819!

Find this specimen online.

Also, find nearly 400 other holly specimens collected in Pennsylvania, just digitized and now online!

Check back for more! Botanists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History share digital specimens from the herbarium on dates they were collected. They have embarked on a three-year project to digitize nearly 190,000 plant specimens collected in the region, making images and other data publicly available online. This effort is part of the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis Project (mamdigitization.org), a network of thirteen herbaria spanning the densely populated urban corridor from Washington, D.C. to New York City to achieve a greater understanding of our urban areas, including the unique industrial and environmental history of the greater Pittsburgh region. This project is made possible by the National Science Foundation under grant no. 1801022.  

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Fraser Fir

by Mason Heberling
Frasier fir specimen

Collected on some day, probably between 101-122 years ago.

Around 25-30 million cut trees are sold each year in the United States for the holidays. The popularity of certain species for this use has changed through time.  Many different evergreen conifer species are cultivated in the US for decorative use during the holidays.  Needle length, softness, retention, color, and even scent vary by species or variety. Similarly, branching characteristics and branch strength differs by species. Plus, some species grow faster and easier than others, which means some species are cheaper.

This specimen of Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) was collected in Philadelphia at the Thomas Meehan & Sons Nursery.  The person who collected this specimen and the date of collection are unknown.  Thomas Meehan immigrated to the United States from England in 1848 and started a landscaping business.  With his three sons, he started the Thomas Meehan & Sons Nursuries in 1896.  The nursery was unique in that it specialized in native trees and shrubs, unlike most nurseries that focused on European and Asian varieties (still very common today).  The nursery closed in 1916.

Fraser fir is currently one of the most popular Christmas trees.  It is known for its dark green color, soft needles, stiff branches (great for hanging heavy ornaments), and has good needle retention.  Unfortunately, native to the Southern Appalachians, Fraser fir isn’t the easiest to grow in Pennsylvania.

Before farms began cultivating trees for that purpose in the early 20th century, people just went to the woods to cut down their tree for the holidays.   Some of the earliest Christmas tree farms in the US started in Indiana County, PA as early as 1918.  Many farms in the region turned their fields into Christmas tree farms as it became profitable. By 1960, more than 1 million trees were harvested per year in Indiana County alone.  The harvest in Pennsylvania has declined for several reasons, including increased popularity of artificial trees and consumer interest in Frasier fir trees (grows slower in PA than farms in North Carolina).  However, Pennsylvania is still among the top five states in terms of both number of working Christmas tree farms and trees harvested. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 31,577 acres in Pennsylvania are used as Christmas tree plantations. Many of the Christmas tree lots in southwestern PA get their trees from farms in Indiana county.

Check back for more! Botanists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History share digital specimens from the herbarium on dates they were collected. They have embarked on a three-year project to digitize nearly 190,000 plant specimens collected in the region, making images and other data publicly available online. This effort is part of the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis Project (mamdigitization.org), a network of thirteen herbaria spanning the densely populated urban corridor from Washington, D.C. to New York City to achieve a greater understanding of our urban areas, including the unique industrial and environmental history of the greater Pittsburgh region. This project is made possible by the National Science Foundation under grant no. 1801022.  

This specimen image is now online and publicly available here.

Mason Heberling is Assistant Curator of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

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Collected on Christmas Eve 1883: Mistletoe

Carnegie Museum of Natural History Blog Citation Information

Blog author: Heberling, Mason
Publication date: December 12, 2018

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Peppermint: A Hybrid Herb for the Holidays

by Mason Heberling
gingerbread man cookie and candy canes

When in candy cane form, it is easy to forget where the flavor came from.  Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is actually a hybrid between two other mint species, water mint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata).  It is commonly grown for food as well as for use as a medicinal herb.  It is also well known to escape garden settings and spread aggressively.  Like other mints, this species is in the plant family Lamiaceae, which includes many strongly scented kitchen herbs.  Members of the mint family are well recognized by their unique flowers and characteristically square stems.

peppermint specimen

This peppermint specimen was collected on August 29, 1965 by Norman R. Farnsworth in an open field at Ranalli’s Drive-In, eight miles north of Etna off Route 8, outside of Pittsburgh, PA.

Farnsworth (1930-2011) received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh, where he researched medicinal plants.  He was an influential professor and researcher in the field of pharmacognosy (study of medicinal drugs derived from plants).  He was a founding member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy.

The Carnegie Museum herbarium includes 1,108 specimens collected by Farnsworth.  Each specimen is recognizable, with an envelope attached to each sheet that includes a typed description of the results of chemical screenings he did on the specimen.

Check back for more! Botanists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History share digital specimens from the herbarium on dates they were collected. They have embarked on a three-year project to digitize nearly 190,000 plant specimens collected in the region, making images and other data publicly available online. This effort is part of the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis Project (mamdigitization.org), a network of thirteen herbaria spanning the densely populated urban corridor from Washington, D.C. to New York City to achieve a greater understanding of our urban areas, including the unique industrial and environmental history of the greater Pittsburgh region. This project is made possible by the National Science Foundation under grant no. 1801022.  

This specimen image is publicly available.

Mason Heberling is Assistant Curator of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

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Collected on This Day in 1934: European larch

Carnegie Museum of Natural History Blog Citation Information

Blog author: Heberling, Mason
Publication date: December 10, 2018

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It’s my flower, and I’ll fruit when I want to

by Andrea Kautz

Witch hazel branch with fruits and flowers together
Witch hazel branch with fruits and flowers together

At this point in the year, there aren’t many blooms to be seen on a crisp hike through the woods. However, now is the perfect time to find Common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) both flowering and fruiting!

witch hazel fruits
Witch hazel fruits

Hamamelis, from the Greek words meaning “together” and “fruit,” refers to the presence of fruits and flowers at the same time. The velvety fruits you see on witch hazel at this time of year are actually from the flowers that bloomed a year ago. Once ripe, the fruit pops open and the shiny black seeds are forcibly ejected up to 30 feet away! This method of seed dispersal gives the witch hazel another common name, snapping hazelnut. The plant is medically useful for problems of the digestive tract, insect bites, minor burns, skin irritation, or colds and fevers.

witch hazel flowers
Witch hazel flowers

While this species of witch hazel is one of the last woodland plants to bloom, the Chinese species of witch hazel is one of the first of the year to bloom in late winter, making this delightful group of plants a real rule-breaker! Be sure to keep an eye out for the curly yellow petals of the witch hazel flower on your next fall or winter hike!

Andrea Kautz is a Research Entomologist at Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

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Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and Yams: What’s the Difference?

by Mason Heberling

specimens of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams

What you know as yams are most likely not actually yams.  In fact, your “classic” potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams are all in different plant families. However, they all are widely cultivated for their nutritious starchy belowground plant structures called “tubers.” Tubers function as storage organs for the plants, providing energy for regrowth (the “eyes” or sprouting buds of your potatoes when they sit in your kitchen for too long).  Potatoes and yams technically have modified belowground stems (“stem tubers”) while sweet potatoes have “root tubers.”

yam specimen
Yam

Yam is a common name for several vine species in the genus Dioscorea (plant family: Dioscoreaceae).  They are monocots (related to grasses and lilies). Yams are widely cultivated worldwide, especially in West Africa, where 95% of the crop is harvested.  Yams can be stored for very long periods of time, making them an important crop for seasons when food is in short supply.  Yam tubers can be as large as five feet long!

sweet potato specimen
Sweet potato

Sweet potatoes refer to a vine species (Ipomoea batatas) in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae).  This species is likely what is on your Thanksgiving dinner table.  In the United States and Canada, sweet potatoes are often (confusingly) referred to as “yams.”  But sweet potatoes are not even closely related to yams.  As such, the USDA requires any label with “yam” to also include “sweet potato.”  So why are sweet potatoes sometimes confusingly called yams?!  Well, this naming probably dates back to colonial times when slaves from Africa noted the similarities between some varieties of sweet potatoes to yams in Africa.

potato specimen
Potato

And last – the “classic” potato, Solanum tuberosum.  Potatoes belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceace), which also includes many other important crops like peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, tobacco, and more.  Critical to the world’s food supply, potatoes are the fourth most farmed crop.  Potatoes are only distantly related to sweet potatoes.  They are also called “spuds,” which probably originated centuries ago from a term for a spade used to dig holes to plant potatoes. Having been cultivated for centuries, there are thousands of potato varieties worldwide.  The cultivated species was domesticated from wild relative potato species in South America (Peru) 7,000 – 10,000 years ago.  Interesting note: discoveries on the origin of potatoes was based on DNA from 200-year-old herbarium specimens!  Similarly, the origin of the Irish Potato Famine (caused by potato late blight from a fungal pathogen) was also discovered using fungal DNA extracted from 160+ year old herbarium specimens!

For more on Irish potato famine research.  

For more on origins of European potato.

Mason Heberling is Assistant Curator of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

Botanists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History share digital specimens from the herbarium on dates they were collected. They have embarked on a three-year project to digitize nearly 190,000 plant specimens collected in the region, making images and other data publicly available online. This effort is part of the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis Project (mamdigitization.org), a network of thirteen herbaria spanning the densely populated urban corridor from Washington, D.C. to New York City to achieve a greater understanding of our urban areas, including the unique industrial and environmental history of the greater Pittsburgh region. This project is made possible by the National Science Foundation under grant no. 1801022.  

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Carnegie Museum of Natural History Blog Citation Information

Blog author: Heberling, Mason
Publication date: November 26, 2018

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Collected on This Day in 1884: Beech Drops

by Mason Heberling

beech drops specimen

Not all plants have leaves.  Beech drops (Epifagus virginiana) is one such example.

This specimen was collected on November 16, 1884 growing on the root of a beech tree (Fagus grandifolia) at the back of a cemetery in Allegheny county. The specimen was collected by John Shafer, who a decade later became the first curator of botany at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Beech drops is a parasitic plant – rather than having leaves to photosynthesize, the species produces root-like structures (called haustorium) that parasitizes roots of beech trees.

The genus “Epifagus” refers to this parasitism on beech (“epi”= upon; “fagus” = beech).

Beech drops are in the  broomrape family (Orobanchaceae), which is comprised mostly of parisitic plants.

Check out the beautiful, distinctive purple and white flowers in late summer to autumn.

beech drop flowers
Beech drop flowers.  Photo taken on September 12, 2018 at Riddle Run, Springdale, Pennsylvania.

Mason Heberling is Associate Curator of Botany at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Botanists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History share digital specimens from the herbarium on dates they were collected. They have embarked on a three-year project to digitize nearly 190,000 plant specimens collected in the region, making images and other data publicly available online. This effort is part of the Mid-Atlantic Megalopolis Project (mamdigitization.org), a network of thirteen herbaria spanning the densely populated urban corridor from Washington, D.C. to New York City to achieve a greater understanding of our urban areas, including the unique industrial and environmental history of the greater Pittsburgh region. This project is made possible by the National Science Foundation under grant no. 1801022.