UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke to combine herbaria, creating the third-largest university plant collection in the United States

UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University will unite their herbaria under the management of the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. Herbaria are collections of preserved plant specimens that serve as irreplaceable scientific archives and enable researchers to study biodiversity, long-term climate shifts, invasive species and other changes in plant life across generations.

Together the collection will comprise about 1.7 million specimens, making it the third-largest university herbarium in the country after Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley, and the largest in the southeastern United States.

The Botanical Garden, which already manages the UNC-Chapel Hill Herbarium, is dedicated to the conservation and study of plants of the southeastern United States, making it well positioned to preserve and expand access to the combined collection for future generations.

Plants are fundamental to all life on Earth, supporting countless other species and providing clean air, water, food and medicine that sustain all life. Safeguarding these plants is essential for human well-being, and herbaria help scientists track and protect plant biodiversity by documenting where species grow and how they change over time.

"The preservation of plant biodiversity will shape human well-being for generations to come," said Damon Waitt, director of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. "This consolidation will preserve a scientific legacy dating back to 1802, keep the combined collection a vital resource for studying plant diversity in the Southeast, and ensure it continues to advance our understanding of plant life as new tools transform plant research."

Duke announced plans in 2024 to relocate its herbarium after determining that its outdated facilities would require years of work and extensive disruption to the collection.

"Duke's Herbarium is a highly valuable research collection that has been expertly curated and studied by Duke faculty, staff and students as well as many scholars beyond campus," said Amy Herring, dean of Natural Sciences at Duke. "This agreement will keep Duke's Herbarium intact and locally accessible to scientists, curators and students, as well as the citizens of the state and region."

The Duke collection will initially be housed in two floors of the former Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center in Chapel Hill. Carolina has a long-term plan to build a dedicated Plant Biodiversity Research Center to accommodate the Duke collection and the UNC-Chapel Hill collection, which has exceeded the storage capacity of its campus home at Coker Hall.

Work to upfit Frank Porter Graham has already begun, and the Duke collection is expected to move there in June 2027. The consolidation is among a growing number of partnerships between the two universities, including the Robertson Scholars program, the Carolina-Duke Core Partnership in research and the North Carolina Children's Health campus.

In recent years, herbarium specimens have helped scientists document how species have responded to long-term climate shifts, the spread of invasive species and changes in land use.

As scientists increasingly use AI, digitization and DNA sequencing to study plant life, herbaria are becoming even more valuable as physical records, helping researchers identify species, compare traits and better understand how plants have changed over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is being announced?

UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University will unite their herbarium collections under the management of the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

Together, the collections will comprise approximately 1.7 million preserved plant specimens, creating the third-largest university herbarium in the United States and the largest university herbarium in the southeastern United States.

2. What is a herbarium?

A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens that serves as a permanent scientific archive.

Specimens are typically dried, pressed, labeled and stored for long-term preservation. They allow researchers to study plant diversity, distributions, traits and changes across time.

3. Why are UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke combining their herbaria?

The consolidation will help preserve both collections, maintain access for researchers and students, and strengthen the study of plant biodiversity in the southeastern United States.

Duke announced plans in 2024 to relocate its herbarium after determining that its outdated facilities would require years of work and extensive disruption to the collection. UNC-Chapel Hill's herbarium has also exceeded the storage capacity of its current home in Coker Hall.

4. Why will the North Carolina Botanical Garden manage the combined collection?

The North Carolina Botanical Garden already manages the UNC-Chapel Hill Herbarium and is dedicated to the conservation and study of plants of the southeastern United States for the public good.

Its expertise and existing infrastructure position it to preserve, manage and expand access to the combined collection for future generations.

5. How large and significant will the combined collection be?

The combined collection will include approximately 1.7 million specimens, making it the third-largest university herbarium in the United States, after Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.

It will also be the largest university herbarium collection in the southeastern United States and an unmatched archive for studying plant diversity in the region.

6. Will the Duke and UNC collections remain intact and what is included in the transfer?

Yes. The Duke Herbarium will remain intact and locally accessible to scientists, curators, students and residents of North Carolina and the broader region. The UNC-Chapel Hill Herbarium will also remain part of the collection managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

This transfer includes all Duke Herbarium specimens, herbarium cabinets and equipment, supplies and materials related to specimen management; associated data and digital imagery, loan paperwork and archival materials, collector notebooks and historic materials; herbarium library holdings and cases; bryophyte reprint collection; imaging stations and related technology; the Culbertson collection and related materials; microscopes and dissecting scopes; and other agreed collection-related assets.

7. Where will Duke's collection be housed?

The Duke collection will initially be housed on two vacant floors of the former Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center in Chapel Hill. Work to prepare the space has already begun.

8. When will Duke's collection move to Chapel Hill?

The Duke collection is expected to move to Chapel Hill in June 2027.

Additional information about the move, including any temporary changes to access or collection services, will be shared as planning progresses.

9. Who will have access to the collections after the consolidation?

The collections will remain accessible to scientists, curators, students and scholars from Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and other institutions, as well as residents of North Carolina and the surrounding region.

Because herbarium specimens are maintained in specialized research facilities, access may require an appointment or follow established research procedures. Information about access will be available through the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

10. Will the consolidation affect research or teaching at Duke?

Duke's Herbarium will continue to support research, teaching and student learning.

The collection will remain available to Duke faculty, staff and students, as well as researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill and other institutions. The consolidation is intended to preserve and strengthen the collection's role as a regional and national scientific resource.

11. Why are herbaria important?

Herbaria help scientists document and understand plant biodiversity. They provide evidence of where species have grown and how plants have changed over time.

Researchers use herbarium specimens to study long-term climate shifts, invasive species, changes in land use, evolution, conservation and other changes in plant life across generations.

12. Why are herbaria especially valuable today?

Modern tools-including artificial intelligence, digitization and DNA sequencing-are making herbarium specimens even more useful.

As physical records of plant life, the specimens help researchers identify species, compare traits, analyze historical changes, and study how plants have responded to changing environmental conditions.

13. What is the long-term plan for the collections?

Carolina has a long-term plan to build a dedicated Plant Biodiversity Research Center that would house the Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill collections together.

14. When will the Plant Biodiversity Research Center be built?

The Plant Biodiversity Research Center is a long-term plan. The timing will depend on future planning, approvals, design, and funding.

In the meantime, Duke's collection will be housed at the former Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, while the UNC-Chapel Hill collection remains at Coker Hall.

15. How much will the consolidation cost, and who is paying?

Duke University will cover the costs of packing and moving its herbarium collection to Chapel Hill. Costs associated with space preparation/other expenses will be supported by philanthropic dollars. The future Plant Biodiversity Research Center will require separate planning and funding.