University Resources

 These are resources specific to our campus and a great way to get involved. The most impressive aspect of our Universities Resources is the UW Herbarium!

UW Herbarium at the Burke

The University of Washington Herbarium (also known as WTU) is an international resource for research into the diversity, distribution and ecology of Pacific Northwest vascular plants, non-vascular plants, fungi, lichen, and algae. With over 600,000 specimens currently in the collections and between 5,000-10,000 specimens added annually, WTU is one of the largest herbaria in the region. A history of WTU can be found here.

The Herbarium has an active loan and exchange program, and is open to the public. For information about loans or visiting WTU, contact theCollections Manager.

Support from the National Science Foundation's Biological Research Collections program (2003-2007) led to our databasing over 120,00 Pacific Northwest vascular plant specimens, which are available through our online database. This funding also supported creation of the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria website, which provides access to specimen data and digital resources from throughout the region.

Search Herbarium Database

If you would like to speak directly to a staff or contributing member of the Herbarium. Their contact information is listed below. Though, remember, if the questions are in regards to plant identification please refer to open source and group-think services like iNaturalist before consulting these professionals. 

People

NOTE: All phone numbers Area Code 206; all e-mail addresses @u.washington.edu unless otherwise specified.

Staff

Richard Olmstead

Professor of Botany, Biology Department

Burke Museum Curator of Botany

Herbarium Curator

olmstead@

543-8850; 543-6594

David E. Giblin, Ph.D.

Collections Manager

Box 355325

University of Washington

Seattle, WA 98195-5325

dgiblin@

543-1682

Joe Ammirati

Adjunct Curator of Mycology

Professor of Botany, Biology Department

cort@

543-1986

Peter Dunwiddie

Affiliate Curator

pdunwidd@

Arthur Kruckeberg

Professor Emeritus

ark@

543-1976

Ben Legler

Informatics Specialist

blegler@

221-5234

Museum Associates

Alison Colwell

Museum Research Associate

Interests: Parasitic Orobanchaceae

aelcolwell[at]msn.com

Mark Darrach

Museum Research Associate

Interests: Conservation botany, Systematics of Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae, Geobotany, Field botany mentoring and education

corydalis_mark@earthlink.net

mdarrach[at]fs.fed.us

Lee Ellis

Museum Research Associate

Interests:  Bryophytes

vl1944ellis[at]earthlink.net

Mark Egger

Museum Research Associate

Interests: Systematics and conservation of the Lamiales in general, with specialization on the hemiparasitic Orobanchaceae, especially the Castillejinae genera

m.egger[at]comcast.net

Don Estberg

Museum Research Associate

Interests: Android software for classification, identification and keying, particularly of wildflowers

dge[at]alum.mit.edu

Tracy Fuentes

Museum Research Associate

Interests:  PNW Plants & Lichens; invasive and rare plants

tfuentes@

Sarah Gage

Museum Research Associate

Interests: Flora of Washington

sgage[at]seanet.com

Katherine Glew

Museum Curatorial Associate, Botany 

Interests: Lichens with an emphasis on alpine and island ecosystems.

kglew@

Judy Harpel

Museum Research Associate

Interests: Bryophytes of Western North America and Russian Far East

wjharpel[at]earthlink.net

James E. Rodman

Museum Research Associate

Interests: Brassicaceae

rodman69_890[at]msn.com

Michelle Seidl

Museum Curatorial Associate

Interests: Fungi, especially Cortinarius

seidl[at]comcast.net

...........................................................................Another great resource on our campus is our teaching staff. Some of the worlds leaders in ecology and ecosystem restoration teach here on our campus. Check with the ESRM, CFR and BIO department for professor and course listings. Here are some upcoming classes that are relevant to wildflowers as well as other aspects of environmental conservation. 

Professor John Bakker here at the University of Washington has focused his research on conservation and the restoration on local ecosystems.

Jon Bakker School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington Room 036, Merrill Hall Box 354115,Seattle, WA 98195-4115

Contact Information:

Phone: 221-3864 E-mail: jbakker@ COURSES Introduction to Restoration Ecology (ESRM 362 / ENVIR 362 / CFR 590D / CFR 590F) An introduction to the field of restoration ecology through lectures, discussions, and field trips.  Topics include the rationale and methodology of restoration ecology, essential ecological principles, and interdisciplinary aspects of the field.  Offered to undergraduate and graduate students during the Autumn quarter. Native Plant Production (ESRM 412) A field- and greenhouse-based course providing an overview of the plant production process, with an emphasis on low-tech methods applicable to growing native plants for use in restoration projects and other settings.  Offered during the Spring quarter. Analytical Techniques for Community Ecology (CFR 502) A graduate-level course in applied multivariate statistics, with a focus on their application to ecological data.  Techniques include Mantel tests, permutational MANOVA, ordinations (PCA, CCA, NMDS), cluster analysis, and regression trees.  Students practice using these techniques and apply appropriate techniques to their own data.  Offered during the Winter quarter. Current Issues in Restoration Ecology and Environmental Horticulture (CFR 503) A graduate-level discussion of current topics of interest.  Offered each quarter throughout the academic year and co-taught by the faculty at the UW Botanic Gardens.