Overview

The foundations for Montana State University Billings Herbarium (Index Herbariorum Code: MSUB) were laid in 1927 when the first science faculty of Eastern Montana Normal School, R. A. Shunk, and his students provided the initial plant specimens. In 1976, Dr. Tasneem Khaleel began consolidating several herbaria (including Eastern Montana Normal, Eastern Montana College, Rocky Mountain College, and the USDA Forest Service) into the current MSUB Herbarium. MSUB Herbarium holdings are primarily from Montana, with a number collected in the early 1900’s. In the spring of 2019, the first strategic plan for the MSUB Herbarium was developed. During 2022, the MSUB Herbarium moved into the new Yellowstone Science and Health building (room 030). Current projects include accessioning backlog and fully digitizing (label data and images) the collection. 

Mission

The Montana State University Billings Herbarium endeavors to classify and catalog global floral diversity, prioritizing the Eastern Montana region. As an extension of Montana State University Billings, MSUB Herbarium provides and promotes botanical education, research, and outreach.

Vision

The Montana State University Billings Herbarium aims to become a center for botanical education and research in Eastern Montana. MSUB Herbarium is in a unique position to act as a crossroads for undergraduate students, professionals, and the local community.

Herbarium Data Availability

MSUB Herbarium has digitized specimen label information and it made publicly available through the Consortium of Great Plains Herbaria, iDigBio (Integrated Digitized Biocollections funded by the National Science Foundation), and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Recommended Citation: Montana State University Billings Herbarium (YEAR). Montana State University Billings. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/9cpmkt accessed via GBIF.org on DATE ACCESSED.