SMMSH Herbarium of the National Park Service
Did you know that the Santa Monica Mountains have their very own herbarium? The National Park Service, with help from Santa Monica Mountains Fund, has supported biodiversity preservation and education by collecting over 1,289 vascular plant specimens from the Santa Monica Mountains & Simi Hills.
The SMMSH Herbarium is an ever-growing collection of vascular plant specimens collected in the Santa Monica Mountains & Simi Hills, pressed and preserved for historical data and scientific research, with an additional collection of 584 specimens representing seed collections.
Margaret Stassforth, an NPS volunteer, led the effort to collect and press 439 herbarium specimens of 379 species from the Santa Monica Mountains, which were housed at the Rocky Oaks Park Museum Research Building. Unfortunately, the Woolsey Fire destroyed these specimens.
Eight years later, the Park and SAMO Fund technicians are still leading efforts to restore the lost data, illuminating the importance of herbaria and protecting the vast biodiversity of our mountains.
Give Local, Get Wild!
SAMO Fund hopes to support the work of the SMMSH Herbarium, which you can find specimen data from the Consortium of California Herbaria here. Knowing where our beautiful native plants grow lets us study how the thick root systems of coast live oaks, fragrant California sagebrush, and sturdy toyon hold steep hillsides together through heavy winter rains and shield surrounding valleys from erosion. When you invest in local research and conservation, you help preserve the living buffer that protects our communities.
