Forest Pathology and Mycology
Herbarium
Mycological Herbarium (Layout)
ESF is fortunate in having useful facilities for the study of tree diseases and fungi, including large, diverse forest properties and advanced laboratory equipment. One of the most unique facilities, however, is a Mycological Herbarium.
The Mycological Herbarium of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SYRF) is one of the most significant of specialized herbaria of lignicolous fungi in the country. Its primary emphasis is in the Aphyllophorales, especially polypores, but there are also substantial collections of Deuteromycetes and crustose lichens. It has important exsiccati and many isotypes of European polypores from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Historical Perspective
Aside from older specimens obtained from other collections, the first specimens are those of L. H. Pennington, the first Chairman of the Department of Botany and Forest Pathology, in 1911-1912. Thus there appears to have been a commitment to building a mycological herbarium during the planning phases of the College.
The first important body of specimens was the crustose lichens collected for Josiah L. Lowe's Ph.D. thesis on the genus Lecidea. He received the degree from the University of Michigan in 1938, but was a Teaching Assistant at this College during his thesis work and did extensive collecting in the Adirondack Mountains of New York as well as in Michigan. About 1000 of his specimens and exchanges from contemporary lichenologists form a relatively small but unique and significant collection of crustose lichens.
Dr. Lowe became a Lecturer at the College in 1938, when his interest quickly shifted to polypores, in keeping with the mission of the College. By working with L. O. Overholts of the Pennsylvania State University, the premier polypore specialist of the time, and finishing and publishing the latter's life work (1953, Polyporaceae of United States, Alaska and Canada) posthumously, Dr. Lowe became one of the world's leading authorities on the group.
Dr. Lowe, Dr. Robert L. Gilbertson and their students collected polypores and other lignicolous hymenomycetes extensively in the United States and other countries. Based on these collections, over 75 systematic papers were published. Among them, many important monographs became landmarks in the development of systematic concepts in those groups. When Dr. Lowe became unable to continue working, two manuscripts (a revision of the Polypores of New York State and a monograph of the Coriolus-like fungi) remained uncompleted. These materials, particularly the latter, constitute a valuable resource for future systematists.
Dr. Chun Wang joined the College in 1959 and initiated studies of hyphomycete systematics. Until then, the Deuteromycetes were represented in the Herbarium largely by a few exsiccati. Dr. Wang and her students have greatly expanded the collections.
In addition to the field collections of Drs. Lowe, Gilbertson, Wang and their students, a persistent habit of Dr. Lowe has greatly increased the value of the herbarium. During his visits to herbaria around the world, particularly in North America and Europe, he always obtained permission from curators to take a sample of important type specimens that he studied. Most are from the 19th century. When he returned, he mounted them on type sheets along with his photographs of the full specimen, photocopies of the original description, and detailed notes from his own study of the specimen. Although the number of such isotypes is unknown, they constitute a valuable repository of type specimens from around the world for polypore specialists who cannot spend months travelling to the various herbaria.
Description of the Collection
The Mycological Herbarium is a legacy of the many renowned mycologists that have studied here and contributed to it. It therefore constitutes a valuable resource for the refinement of species concepts in fungi and the development of sound systems of classification. As outlined in the historical perspective above, the Herbarium is strongest in crustose lichens, hyphomycetes, and lignicolous Aphyllophorales, especially polypores. Specimens are concentrated in New York but all major regions of the United States and some foreign lands are covered. Most of the specimens are accompanied by records of Dr. Lowe's microscopic observations.
The Mycological Herbarium actually occupies three rooms: the Herbarium proper (440 Illick), a mycological storeroom (427 Illick) and a general storeroom (312 Illick). The rooms have both full-size and half-size Lane herbarium cabinets.
Note: Lichens, Deuteromycetes and Ascomycetes are not depicted in the layout below. They are housed in a separate room of the Herbarium.
Most specimens are in paper packets pinned to species sheets, but there is a significant number in boxes, grouped in larger boxes. Many have napthalene in the packet or box for protection from insects.
Dr. Lowe was known as a conservative systematist, and he described few taxa. As outlined above, however, a major feature of the Herbarium is the large number of thoroughly documented isotypes from U.S. and foreign herbaria. All the major polypore specialists of the past are represented among these specimens.
We estimate that the Herbarium contains about 15,000 specimens. Following are some of the important elements of the Herbarium:
Approximately 1000 lichens, primarily crustose, especially in the genus Lecidea, authoritatively identified the collection of Deuteromycetes is unique, and is summarized as follows:
- 1,200 specimens, mostly from northeastern North America. These are accompanied by microscope slides, and some with photomicrographs.
- 20+ type specimens with slides, micrographs
- 150 microscope slides of ex-type specimens or cultures
- 750 photomicrographs of types
- 500 dried cultures with microscope slides, and many photomicrographs of isolates from wood, pulp, soil, water, mycorrhizae, etc.
approximately 12,000 polypores and other Aphyllophorales, including:
- most of the early collections of R. L. Gilbertson, a world authority on polypores virtually all the collections of J. L. Lowe
- two large collections of Oxyporus nobilissimus, an extremely rare (possibly extinct) and large polypore of the Pacific Northwest (with the largest basidiomes among North American fungi)
- portions of many important type specimens (isotypes) of polypores from European and American herbaria, dating in many cases from the 19th century
- large numbers of polypores and other Aphyllophorales contributed by other important mycologists of this century, such as Bakshi, Bondartsew, Eriksson, Ginns, Kotlaba, Larsen, Niemelä, Nikolajev, and Parmasto
- many additional polypore specimens, most of which are so densely packed and numerous that we have not been able to adequately survey them, are in the storerooms
- papers, correspondence and unpublished manuscripts of J. L. Lowe
- many specimens which have been subdivided and are in various states of readiness for shipment to other herbaria ("exchanges")
Exsiccati:
- Bondartsew - Exsiccati URSS Fasc. 1 1959
- Nikolojeva - Aphyllophorales URSS Exsiccati, Decas II 1963
- Parmasto - Mycotheca Estonia Fasc. II, III
- Charles L. Smith - Central American Fungi Fascicle III 1896
- Reliquiae Tuckermanianae and other important 19th century lichens distributed by Farlow Herbarium of Harvard University, 1937-1942
- C.L. Rogerson, S.J. Smith and J.H. Haines - Fungi Boreali-Americani, 1994
Policies
The Mycological Herbarium at ESF makes loans of specimens to recognized institutions and individuals with bona fide scientific interest. Properly documented collections will be accepted for permanent deposit.
For details, direct inquiries to:
Dr. Dudley Raynal, Curator, SYRF
350 Illick Hall
SUNY College of Envtl. Science and Forestry
One Forestry Drive
Syracuse NY 13210