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The Ted R. Bradley Herbarium

Krug Hall, rooms 15 and 16

small Krug 15 Herbarium Research Collection Room, Krug 15

 

What is an Herbarium?
A collection of dried, pressed plant specimens that are maintained for scientific reference. Specimens are prepared with archival-quality materials and are intended to last for centuries. See a specimen and the herbarium's promotional poster.




 

Brief History of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium
The George Mason University Herbarium was begun in 1967 by its first curator, Professor Ted Bradley. Dr. Bradley added thousands of personal collections over the course of his career and by the time he retired in 2003 had expanded the collection to over 60,000 specimens. The herbarium is listed in the Index Herbariorum under the acronym GMUF. Mason's herbarium is tied with LYN as the fourth largest in the Commonwealth. Click here for map of Virginia's herbaria. Full reports of herbarium activities are available for download: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 (available soon).


Regional Focus and Organization
The majority of specimens (ca. 67%) are from Virginia, particularly Northern Virginia, and are separated in beige folders from other specimens in the cabinets. The remaining ca. 33% mainly derive from the southeastern US and are placed in yellow folders. However, international specimens, such as those from Canada, Puerto Rico, Andros Island (Bahamas), and South America, are further segregated into orange folders. The entire collection is arranged by family, alphabetically by genus and species, followed by geographical segregation at the species and sub-species level. The herbarium also maintains a library of identification keys, botanical journals and reference books.




Focus_Organization

[above] Havala, a Mason undergraduate, cataloging a portion of the herbarium as an independent study project. [right] Sara, a Mason graduate student, collecting Virginia Seashore Mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos) in southern Maryland as part of her taxonomic revision of this species.

Research

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Value of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium for Research
The herbarium maintains a synoptic collection of Northern Virginia flora that is used by Mason faculty and students as well as non-Mason biologists. The vast majority of these specimens are not duplicated elsewhere and are therefore irreplaceable documents of Virginia’s plant biodiversity heritage. The herbarium supports the ongoing research programs of several Mason professors and that of their students. Since 2000, the herbarium has supported thirteen Master’s and Ph.D. research projects (see Table 1).

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Table 1.

Graduate theses and dissertations from the last five years (2006-2011)

1. In Progress. Systematics, phylogeny, and species taxonomy of the lichen genus Dictyonema. Ms. Manuela Dal Forno. Ph.D. dissertation.

2. In Progress. Origin and evolution of endemic Madagascar Commiphora (Burseraceae). Mr. Morgan Gostel. Ph.D. dissertation.
3. In Progress. Floristics of Puntland, Somalia. Mr. Mohamoud Osman. Ph.D. dissertation.

4. In Progress. Structural and functional development of vegetation in mitigation bank wetlands created in the Piedmont region of Virginia. Ms. Suzanne Dee. Ph.D. dissertation.

5. In Progress. The implications of root fungal colonization on competition among Microstegium vimineum, Amphicarpa bracteata, and Onoclea sensibilis in Northern Virginia. Ms. Brittany North. Master’s thesis.

6. 2011. The Effects of Sericea Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) invasion on the mycorrhizal communities of grasslands in Northern Virginia. Mr. Robert Andrews. Master’s thesis.

7. 2011. Structural and functional development of vegetation in mitigation bank wetlands created in the Piedmont region of Virginia. Ms. Suzanne Dee. Master’s thesis.

8. 2011. An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Crow’s Nest State Nature Preserve, Stafford County, Virginia. Mr. Matthew P. Smith. Master’s Project.

9. 2010. A subspecific revision of North American saltmarsh mallow, Kosteletzkya pentacarpos (L.) Ledeb. Ms. Sara N. Alexander. Master’s thesis.

10. 2009. Origin and evolution of cultivated Agrostis spp. Department of Molecular and Microbiology. Mr. Keenan L. Amudsen. Ph.D. dissertation.

11. 2009. The phylogenetics and historical biogeography of Leibnitzia Cass. (Asteraceae: Mutisieae): American species in an Asian genus. Ms. Kristen E. Baird. Master’s thesis.

Graduate theses and dissertations from 2000-2006

12. 2005. Plant community structure, fire disturbance, and recovery in mangrove swamps of the Waini Peninsula, Guyana. Mr. Thomas H. Hollowell. Ph.D. dissertation.

13. 2004. An electron microscopy study of the outer pericarp surface of the achenes (fruits) of Rhynchospora (Cyperaceae) in the Guianas, South America, bearing on the delimitation of species and sections, and to clarify the taxonomy and distribution of species occurring in the Guianas. Mr. Mark T. Strong. Ph.D. dissertation.

14. 2004. Floristic survey of the Eastern Goose Creek watershed, Loudoun County, Virginia. Ms. Lisa A. Williams. Master’s thesis.

15. 2002. Plant diversity of Kaieteur National Park, Guyana: Using plant data as a tool in conservation and development. Ms. Carol Lynn Kelloff. Ph.D. dissertation.

16. 2000. A floristic survey of the Potomac River watershed in Westmoreland County, Virginia, from Bridges Creek to Currioman Bay. Mr. John E. Dodge. Master’s thesis.

17. 2000. Plant communities of the Potomac Gorge and their relationship to fluvial factors. Mr. Christopher Lea. Master’s thesis.

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Recent external visitors to Mason's collection include nature resource professionals from the Virginia Natural Heritage Program, NatureServe, US Geological Service, and Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria. Botanists from outside Virginia also access the collections through loans of specimens to their institutions. GMUF specimens are currently being used to support a range of non-Mason projects including a revised Flora of the Bahamas, the phylogenetic systematics of Taenidia (Apiaceae), a pollen flora of the Potomac River Basin, and the upcoming Flora of Virginia [http://www.floraofvirginia.org].



[above] Mason undergraduates are shown here on a class trip to Shenandoah National Park as part of the field botany labs for BIOL 345 – Plant Ecology. The herbarium provides teaching resources for six Mason courses (see below).

The Value of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium for Teaching and Scientific Outreach

In addition to supporting Mason student research projects, the herbarium provides teaching resources for BIOL 103 - Introductory Biology, BIOL 344 - Plant Diversity and Evolution, BIOL 345 - Plant Ecology, BIOL 520 - Systematics of Complex Angiosperm families), EVPP 335 - People, Plants and Culture, and EVPP 350 - Freshwater Ecosystems. The herbarium hosts tours for members for the Mason community, children’s groups, such as Girl Scout troops, and various civic organizations. The herbarium has also sponsored a successful native plant rescue on campus that involved the local community.

small Krug 16 Herbarium prep room, Krug 16

Information for visitors: GMUF policies and procedures for people wishing to access the herbarium are available for download here. Visitors should contact the director, Andrea Weeks, to make an appointment to visit the collection. Maps to Krug Hall and parking garages on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University can be found here.