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Collection Profile for:
U.S. National Seed Herbarium (BARC)

**NOTE: The records seen here represent just a small fraction of the collection's total holdings. Digitization of the BARC collection is ongoing and additional records will be added as they become available.**

The U.S. National Seed Herbarium dates to around 1914 and contains approximately 120,000 vials and packets of preserved seeds and fruit and is the largest, most comprehensive collection of its kind in the world. The Seed Herbarium is a resource for researchers across the biological scientists, but is used primarily by botanists with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to aid in identifying foreign seeds that may enter the country and cause harm to the United States’ agricultural biosecurity.

Please note that this is a collection of preserved seed and fruit material. Unlike a seedbank or seed storage facility, these samples are non-viable and not meant for distribution or planting/growing.

Contacts:

  • Curator: Harlan Svoboda, harlan.svoboda@usda.gov, (202) 245-2715

Address:

U.S. National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, D.C.   20002
USA

Collection Statistics

  • 1,541 specimen records
  • 0 georeferenced
  • 1,260 (82%) identified to species
  • 23 families
  • 122 genera
  • 420 species
  • 451 total taxa (including subsp. and var.)

Extra Statistics

Show Geographic Distribution
Show Family Distribution
Collection Type: Preserved Specimens
Management: Live Data managed directly within data portal
Last Update: 25 October 2024
Global Unique Identifier: 74d96dc1-6607-44f1-9d98-c1c99a40e90d
Digital Metadata: EML File
Usage Rights:
Rights Holder: Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture
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