Smithsonian Institution
Botanical specimens, literature and archives that help researchers trace plant names, collections and botanical history.
Why this organization appears in Hoya Library
Botanical specimens, literature and archives that help researchers trace plant names, collections and botanical history.
Botanical collections
The Smithsonian Institution preserves plant specimens and botanical records through the Department of Botany at the National Museum of Natural History. Its United States National Herbarium provides material for research on plant diversity, classification and evolutionary history. For Hoya research, the museum’s collections catalogue offers a route to specimen records and their accompanying images.[1][2]
Finding specimen records
The Hoya search in the Botany Collections catalogue is a starting point for exploring the genus. The catalogue supports searches by plant name, collector, catalogue number and barcode, as well as a separate search for type specimens. Opening an individual record gives access to its details and any available images.[2]
When following a specimen through the literature, keep its collection identifiers with the citation. A catalogue search is a way to locate the underlying record; the particular sheet, labels and identification history are what a subsequent research assessment needs to examine.
Books and archives
The Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) brings together routes into library catalogues, archives and finding aids. It helps researchers locate books, periodicals, manuscripts, personal papers and other historical collections. These documentary resources complement the specimen catalogue when tracing a publication, a collector or the history of a plant name.[3]
Sources and research links
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Department of Botany. Research mission and collection resources; checked 25 October 2026.
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Botany Collections Search. Catalogue introduction, search help and guidance on opening individual records; checked 25 October 2026.
- Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Library, archive and finding-aid entry points; checked 25 October 2026.