Consortium of Pacific Herbaria | Arizona State University (BioKIC)

Consortium of Pacific Herbaria Natural History Collections and Observation Projects

Resource Title: Consortium of Pacific Herbaria | Arizona State University (BioKIC)

Organization: Arizona State University's Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center (BioKIC)

Description:

The Consortium of Pacific Herbaria (CPH) is a dynamic online portal managed by Arizona State University's Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center (BioKIC) that aggregates digitized plant specimen data from over 50 herbaria across Hawai‘i and the broader Pacific Basin. It supports regional databasing, digitization, and open data sharing of preserved plant specimens—providing real-time access to millions of botanical records.

Target Audience: Educators, Facilitators, High School, College

Instructional Roles: Enrichment

Environment: Online only (e.g. interactive map), Self-guided

Content Type: STEM investigation

Type Of Engagement: Investigate

Format: Webpage

Activity:

Aggregates live specimen data from Pacific herbaria including the Joseph F. Rock Herbarium and National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Offers powerful tools: search, map, image browser, dynamic checklists, and region-specific inventories (e.g., Hawai‘i seed banks, extinct species).
Enables researchers, educators, and students to explore specimen metadata (taxonomy, locality, date) and high-quality images.

Topics Covered:

Vascular plants, algae, fungi processing and digitization
Biogeography of Hawai‘i, Palau, Tonga, New Zealand, etc.
Conservation biology, including extinct and rare Pacific species
Taxonomy and systematics, specimen metadata
Herbarium informatics, including GIS-based species distributions

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Have a question, found an issue, or just want to connect?
Reach out to us anytime. We're here to help.