The Herbarium has amassed a unique collection of African plant specimens sourced from specimen exchange and various research projects. Led by two CADSS students, Morgan Thompkins and Williams Toriola, our African plants digitization project is part of a nationwide effort funded by the National Science Foundation to make these resources more accessible to researchers globally. As of April 2025, the Herbarium has located, cataloged, digitized, and shared over 1,000 specimens onto the African Plants Portal database. Our students find this process to be deeply collaborative, as they even work with students outside of the sphere of botany to help translate common names in different languages. By digitizing these previously uncataloged African plant specimens, the Herbarium has helped make these specimens more readily accessible for students, professors, and researchers worldwide. One of the students involved in our African plants digitization project is Morgan Thompkins, a 4th year Molecular and Medical Microbiology major. Her love for plants and curiosity regarding African flora was a driving force behind involvement in this project. Morgan’s knowledge of various languages and her family’s background in farming has also made her well equipped to translate specimen labels. Learning about the diverse varieties of African plants and their many uses has been one of the highlights of her experience with this digitization project. For those curious about learning more about plants or getting involved, Morgan recommends dropping by the Herbarium and reaching out. 

In collaboration with Reserve Manager Suzanne Olyarnik and Research Coordinator Jackie Sones, we are digitizing and imaging the Peter G. Connors Herbarium at Bodega Marine Reserve (BMR) Read more about the BMR collection here: https://ucnrs.org/bodega-herbarium-named-to-honor-former-reserve-manager/