The Eckerd College Biology Herbarium is a collection of preserved flora from Eckerd’s campus that has been maintained since the founding of the college in 1958 and a majority of the collection comes from all throughout Pinellas County. Previous studies conducted in 2015 by Deborah R. Hilbert and Gretchen M. Ionta indicated that a great portion of Eckerd’s campus was not left untouched nor preserved in terms of native flora of Florida. Here we focus on analyzing the approximately 2,200 specimens currently housed within the herbarium to establish a baseline of understanding Eckerd College’s Campus Flora biodiversity. While inventorying and organizing the herbarium specimens, we validated species determinations and updated species identifications when needed. By digitally compiling and analyzing the metadata of each specimen, we were able to differentiate specimens collected on campus from those collected outside. Additionally, we assessed native status and the number of representations by family. This work was performed with the goal of understanding which specimens on campus still need to be collected and preserved in order to properly reflect campus biodiversity.

 Many species that grow on campus, including intentionally and unintentionally introduced species, still need to be sampled. This research lays the groundwork for future efforts by students and faculty to complete a campus-wide floristic inventory of Eckerd College’s campus and to collect additional specimens in order to accurately represent campus plant biodiversity within the Biology herbarium. Completing this work can provide crucial information to help guide land-use and management practices in the future. 

This work was made possible in part by support from Dr. Benjamin Chemel and the Natural Sciencess Summer Research Program Grant (NSSRP) at Eckerd College, St.Petersburg, FL.