The Ruth O'Brien Herbarium

The herbarium, a library of preserved plants that are arranged systematically, is located in the Natural Resources Center (NRC). The specimens are properly prepared, identified and labeled with collection and other important information. The primary mission is to provide support for teaching and research in the biological and environmental sciences. While relatively small, the herbarium contains a comprehensive collection of regional flora of the Texas coastal bend. In addition, a collection of marine plants of the Gulf Coast of Texas, Mexico and the Caribbean and voucher specimens of regional research and thesis projects are stored in the herbarium. These specimens are records of the botanical diversity of an area and are a record of variation within species. The functions of the herbarium include contributions to major floras (covering several or a single county), production of local and regional floras along with checklists, and services including collecting material from the field and distribution of duplicates, plant identification and information services to government agencies, the academic community and the public.

Publications:

Lehman, Roy L, Ruth O’Brien and Tammy White. 2005. Plants of the Texas Coastal Bend. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas. 352 pp.

Lehman, Roy L, Ruth O’Brien and Tammy White. 2002. Plants of Webb County, Texas. Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi & Ed Rachal Foundation. Grunwald Printing Co. 48 pp.

Lehman, R. L. 1999. A checklist of benthic marine macroalgae from the Corpus Christi Bay area. Texas Journal of Science. 51(3):241-252.

Checklists:

Lehman, Roy L, Ruth O’Brien and Tammy White. 2002. Plants of the La Copita Research Area, Jim Wells County, Ben Bolt, Texas. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. 16 pp.