Tennessee Technological University, Hollister Herbarium (HTTU)

The Hollister Herbarium (HTTU) at Tennessee Technological University (TN Tech) was formally established in 1969 in honor of long time TN Tech professor Paul L. Hollister. The collection currently houses ca. 40,000 museum-quality plant specimens documenting more than 3,600 species of flowering plants, ferns, and conifers in Tennessee, with additional strengths in the flora of the southeastern United States. Extensive collections documenting unique habitats found at the intersection of the Eastern Highland Rim and Cumberland Plateau geological provinces help set the Hollister Herbarium apart from other collections in the state. The herbarium has actively worked to develop research, education, and outreach activities over the last ten years. These include providing research opportunities for undergraduate students, offering tours to local K-12 students and community groups, developing collaborations with local schools, providing loans to and exchanging specimens with other institutions, and providing informational resources to state agencies. HTTU is part of the Tennessee Herbarium Consortium and actively makes digital specimen data available online through the Southeastern Regional Network of Expertise and Collections (SERNEC).