The Mississippi State University Herbarium (MISSA in Index Herbariorum) was founded in 1885 with approximately 6,000 specimens. The herbarium houses many noteworthy collections from Southeastern botanists of the 20th century, including S. M. Tracy, R. B. Channell, and James D. Ray, Jr., and Sydney McDaniel, as well as important holdings of the 19th century western North American collector Marcus E. Jones. The collection is presently undergoing digitization and label data are available through the online search form at the University of Mississippi.
Today, the Mississippi State University Herbarium houses approximately 38,000 vascular plant specimens. The collections are worldwide in scope, with a strong focus on the southeastern United States, especially the state of Mississippi.
Copyright 2008-2015 Mississippi State University Herbarium
Mississippi State University Herbarium
History of the Collection
Digitization of the Collection
We are currently digitizing the collection, which includes capturing high quality images of the specimen sheets, transcribing label information, and assigning GPS coordinates to specimens lacking this information. This project, known as Magnolia grandiFLORA, includes herbaria at the University of Mississippi, Delta State University, Institute for Botanical Exploration, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, and University of Southern Mississippi. Data are available through