The USF Herbarium is a botanical collection used for research and teaching purposes at USF. Established in 1958, it contains over 300,000 specimens including plants, algae, lichens, and fungi. It is the second largest herbarium collection in Florida and focuses on specimens from Florida, North America, and Latin America, although it contains specimens from around the globe.
The USF Herbarium is part of the Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, and is located in rooms 9-10 (go down the stairs when you first enter the building) of the Multidisciplinary Complex (CMC) building, on the Tampa Campus of the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. To visit the herbarium, you can contact the Herbarium staff to schedule an appointment.
The Botanical Gardens at USF consist of 16 acres of biodiverse plant species and habitats, including a medicinal garden, a fruit orchard, a wetland forest, a Florida scrub habitat, and a Florida Native Plant bed. There are over 3,000 taxa of plants in the gardens as well as many animal and insect species, such as birds and butterflies. The Botanical Gardens are used for outreach, education, and research and there are lots of opportunities for students, teachers, and community members to get involved with the gardens.