Fact Sheet

The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Herbarium houses a collection of ca. 28,000 vascular and non-vascular plants. It is the largest private college herbarium in Minnesota and the third largest herbarium in the state after the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities and Duluth campuses).  Although Minnesota plants, especially those from Stearns County, represent the bulk of the collections, about one-quarter are special collections including the Flora Exsiccata Austro-Hungarica, Lichenes Exsiccata and the Rev. Z. L. Chandonnet Collection. Other important collections have been deposited in the herbarium by N. Zaczkowski (Flora of the Great Plains), Father James Hansen, O.S.B. (Stearns County, MN flora) and Sister Remberta Westkaemper O.S.B. (Stearns County flora). Our holdings also include collections of seeds/fruits, wood, maps and taxonomic literature.

The Herbarium is an valuable biological resource for the CSB/SJU Biology Department and it plays an important role in teaching, research, and public service. The Herbarium is vital to the teaching of several courses including Plant Taxonomy, Plant Diversity, Ecology and Aquatic Ecology and is used extensively by students and faculty for research in plant systematics and ecology.

Location/address: Science Center, Room 329, Saint John's University, Biology Department, Collegeville, MN 56321-3000 USA
Phone: 320-363-2782
Fax: 320-363-3202
Web site: http://www.csbsju.edu/herbarium
Acronym in Index Herbariorum: CSB; current entry from Index Herbariorum
Status: private institution
Remarks: Individual collections from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University were merged ca. 1978.
Curator: Dr. Stephen G. Saupe (since 1994; Biology Department; College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University; Collegeville, MN 56301; tel - 320 363 2782; fax - 320 363 3202; e-mail)
Previous curator: Dr. Nick Zaczkowski
Curatorial assistants: Sarah Hegg (2003) and Michelle Mattson (2003)
Previous assistants: Elizabeth Anderson, Ryan Buus (2002), Elizabeth Clysdale, James Cronin, Kristi Elliot (1983), Jeff Evander (1993), Amy Haupert, Terra Hudlow (1999), Vicki Hutson, Christine Johnson (1995), Christine Johnson (1984), Robert Koch (1999), Heather Laflin, Rebecca Maly, Eric Remus (1995), Steven McGreevy (1999 - 2001), Sara E. Scott (2002 - 2003), Zach Tegels (2002 - 2003), Katrina Viegas (2001- 2003), and Sarah Young (1999 – 2001)
Collection size: ca. 28,000
# of families: ca. 420
# of cases: 24
Area of emphasis: Flora of Stearns County, Great Plains flora
Arrangement of taxa: Families phylogenetically according to Cronquist (1993); genera alphabetical within a family
Color coding: Yellow - MN plants; green - out of state; red - Chandonnet collection
Important collections: Z.L. Chandonnet; Flora Exsiccata Austro-Hungarica; Wisconsin Plant Pathogenic Fungi; Winter Weeds of MN; Grasses of Minnesota
Collectors of note: R. Westkaemper, O.S.B.; N. Zaczkowski; J. Hansen; T. Daggy
Type of specimen(s): one isotype (Mikania citriodora; Asteraceae)
Current research emphasis: Flora of Stearns County; Plants of Quarry Park, Waite Park (MN); Flora of Granite Outcrops
Herbarium library: Small, but growing
Associated arboretum: Saint John's Arboretum
Exchange available: Mostly vascular plants of upper Midwestern U.S.; local mosses and lichens. Wanted: Worldwide.
Entry from Index Herbariorum: click here