The PAC provides the following services to the faculty, staff, and students of Penn State, as well as the interested public
Plant Identification
Have a plant specimen you can’t identify? We’re here to help! We have botanists that are experts in many different plant families that either work in or are associated with the PAC. We also have an extensive library of field guides and floras available to browse and can recommend plant guides for the field.
Vouchering Specimens
If you’re planning to do any research involving plants, you need to voucher your specimens! At the PAC, we can show you how to correctly collect, press, and dry specimens so that they can be turned into herbarium quality mounts. Most journals require researchers to archive their plant specimens in a public location. The PAC offers a safe, climate controlled environment where your plants can be stored in perpetuity. We can mount your specimens for you or teach you how to mount and you can do the rest on your own. We also lend plant presses if you need one for the field.
Loans
We facilitate loans of specimens from other herbaria throughout the world. If you need plant specimens for your research, we’re happy to request them on your behalf.
Tours
The PAC is happy to host your class for a tour of our facilities! Tours include a presentation on the history of the herbarium and botany at Penn State, the importance of the collection to research and teaching, and current projects and services. The presentation is followed by an examination of the collections including the depth and breadth of the specimens in the cabinets, what information they provide, and a description of how they are collected, mounted and accessioned, and preserved.
Please contact Sarah Chamberlain, curator, for more information or to schedule a visit or tour