Purdue University Herbaria
The Purdue University Herbaria, comprised of the Arthur Fungarium and the Kriebel Herbarium, are located in the Lilly Hall of Life Sciences at Purdue University. Together, the Herbaria contain over 235,000 specimens, with some dating as far back as 1769.
The Arthur Fungarium (PUR) exclusively contains the collection of the Pucciniales, or rust fungi (formerly Uredinales).
The Kriebel Herbarium (PUL) contains non-rust fungi, vascular plants, lichens, algae, and bryophytes.
For more information on the collections and their holdings, history, and current projects, choose one below.
The Joseph C. Arthur Fungarium (PUR)
Plant-pathogenic Rust Fungi (Pucciniales; previously Uredinales)
Contact Us
Herbaria Director
M. Catherine Aime
Full Staff Profiles
Email:
herbaria@purdue.edu
Telephone:
+1.765.494.4623
Address:
G-447 Lilly Hall of Life Sciences
915 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 USA
Hours:
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday
(excluding staff holidays)
Please email two weeks in advance
to arrange a tour or professional visit
An insider’s look at a university collection so valuable, the professor who built it once stole it back.
Learn More
Loan Inquiries
MyCoPortal digitized holdings of the PUR and PUL can be found on each collection's page above. Please contact us for questions and loan inquiries, or refer to our Loan Policy.
Loan Policy
Visitor Information
We are open to visitors weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM year-round, excluding Purdue University staff holidays. Please make arrangements via email at least two weeks prior to your visit.
Visitor PolicyWould you like to make a donation to the Herbaria?
Consider becoming a Friend to the Herbaria by pledging your support to the continuing missions of the Arthur Fungarium and Kriebel Herbarium. Click below for instructions on making a donation to the Purdue University Herbaria.
Donate NowRoles of the Herbaria
A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant or fungal specimens.
Digitization of herbarium specimens, capturing the data and images, for digital archiving
The specimens on which a scientist base their descriptions of new species
Rust HUBB: DNA barcode-based identification of Pucciniales
Rust fungi (Pucciniales, Basidiomycota) are a species-rich (ca. 8,000 species), globally distributed order of obligate plant pathogens. In 2024, using material vouchered in PUR supplemented with fresh collections we generated DNA barcodes of the 28S ribosomal repeat from more than 3,700 rust fungal specimens. Barcoded material spans 120 genera and more than 1,100 species, most represented by several replicate sequences. Barcodes and associated metadata are hosted in a publicly accessible, BLAST searchable database called Rust HUBB (Herbarium-based Universal Barcode Blast) and will be continuously updated.
Rust HUBB
News from the Purdue University Herbaria Staff and Researchers
M. Catherine Aime Lab
Dr. M. Catherine Aime is the Director of the Purdue University Herbaria and Aime Lab. The Aime Lab conducts research on the systematics and biodiversity of fungi. Our research focuses on the earliest diverging lineages of Basidiomycota (Pucciniomycotina, Ustilaginomycotina, and Wallemiomycetes) and on the biodiversity of basidiomycetes in tropical ecosystems. For more information about our research visit our Aime Lab page.
Aime Lab Website