Historical Resources

The Purdue University Herbaria is the result of nearly 150 years of effort and collaboration. Below are a list of publications with further historical insight into the Herbaria, their originators, and their supporters.

Further information on the history of the PUL, along with biographies on Joseph C. Arthur, George B. Cummins, and Joseph F. Hennen, can be accessed from our mainpage or the Purdue Mycologists and Botanists page.

Baxter JW, Kern FD. 1961. History of the Arthur Herbarium at Purdue University. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 71: 228–232. Link

Cummins GB. 1978. J. C. Arthur: The Man and His Work. Annual Review of Phytopathology 16: 19–30. Link

Gilberton RL, Blackwell M. 2009. George Baker Cummins 1904–2007. Mycologia 101: 745–749. Link

Kerns FD. 1942 Jun 19. Joseph Charles Arthur. Science 95 (2477): 617–619. Link

Mains EB. 1942. Joseph Charles Arthur (1850–1942). Mycologia 34 (6): 601–605. Link

McCain JW, Hennen JF. 1982. The Arthur Herbarium centennial: 100 years of uredinology in Indiana and the Great Lakes Region. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 92: 389–395. Link

Purdue University Archives and Specail Collections: George Baker Cummins papers. Link

Purdue University Archives and Special Collections: Joseph Charles Arthur. Link

Rossman A, de Carvalho Jr. A, Hennen P. Joe Fleetwood Hennen (6 January 1928–5 March 2024): international specialist in rust fungi. Inoculum, June 2024. Link

Purdue University has a responsibility to continue preserving PUR & PUL and enlarging, improving, and making [them] available for teaching, research, and reference.

- Joseph F. Hennen

Joseph C. Arthur

Joseph C. Arthur was the founder and first Director of the Arthur Fungarium (PUR), and his story is synonymous with the establishment of this facility. For more on the history of the PUR, visit the biography of J. C. Arthur.

Joseph C. Arthur (1937) J. C. Arthur (24 Nov 1937, by George F. Weber), published in Mains 1942
Joseph C. Arthur Portrait Portrait of J. C. Arthur portrait in Purdue University Archives and Special Collections
Joseph C. Arthur (c. 1888) Joseph C. Arthur with full title
Arthur Debris Yearbook 1899 J. C. Arthur in 1899 Debris Yearbook
J. C. Arthur visits Cornell J. C. Arthur with colleagues during a visit to Cornell
Joseph C. Arthur 40 years J. C. Arthur (left) and other faculty with 40 years of Purdue experience (c. 1930)
Joseph C. Arthur headstone Resting place of Joseph and Emily Arthur in Spring Vale Cemetary, Lafayette, Indiana

George B. Cummins

George B. Cummins was the second Director of the Arthur Fungarium (PUR), a protegé of J. C. Arthur. For more information on his prolific career, visit the biography of George B. Cummins.

George B. Cummins (1963) George B. Cummins, published in Inoculum (1963)
George B. Cummins at work George B. Cummins at work
Illustration by George B. Cummins Example of illustration of rust fungi by George B. Cummins
George and Mildred Cummins Mildred and George Cummins, Yellow Bay, Flatwood Lake, Montana (1956)
Cummins and Alexopoulos Signed photo of George B. Cummins and eminent mycologist Constantine Alexopoulos
George B Cummins Award Inaugural Distinguished Mycologist Award, given to George B. Cummins (1981)
Cummins MSA 100 MSA recognized their oldest living member, George Cummins, who passed at the age of 102

Joseph F. Hennen

Joseph F. Hennen was the third Director of the Arthur Fungarium (PUR) and was instrumental in the saving and merging of the Kriebel Herbarium (PUL) into the combined Purdue University Herbaria. For further details, visit the biography of Joseph F. Hennen.

A young Joseph F. Hennen A young Joseph F. Hennen
Joseph F. Hennen at work Joseph F. Hennen at work
Buritica McCain Hennen Pablo Buriticá, John McCain, and Joseph F. Hennen
Hennen in the field Joseph F. Hennen in the field
Hiratsuka Hennen 1 Collaborator Yasuyuki Hiratsuka and Hennen on Purdue campus
Hiratsuka Hennen 2 Collaborator Yasuyuki Hiratsuka and Hennen in the Herbaria
Hennen Department Portrait Joseph F. Hennen Department Portrait
Joseph F. Hennen and Aime Lab Joseph F. Hennen (seated) and Aime Lab (ca. 2013)

Facilities

The Arthur Fungarium and Kriebel Herbarium have had interesting, and at some times tumultuous, journies to their current location in the Purdue University Herbaria. These paths include a major renovation in 1987 that merged the two collections into one facility, supervised by Joseph F. Hennen.

Station in 1892 by Arthur J. C. Arthur photographed the entrance to the Research Station Greenhouses in 1892
Lilly Hall The Herbaria have been in Lilly Hall for over 50 years
1987 Renovations 1 1987 renovations begin
1987 Renovations 1 Protecting the literature during 1987 renovations
1987 Herbaria renovations 3 Joseph F. Hennen checks on the progress
1987 Herbaria renovations 4 Cabinets are moved in to the compactor tracks
1987 cabinets complete 1987 cabinet move-in is complete
Microscope used by J. C. Arthur Microscope used by J. C. Arthur
1987 Herbaria work desk 1987 Herbaria work desk
1987 Herbaria hallway 1987 Herbaria hallway
Compactors G447 The compactors in the current location of the Herbaria

Collaborators and Contributors

The Purdue University Herbaria hosts an array of collections from all over the world, from a variety of contributors. Visit the Important Collections of the PUL and PUR for further details on some of these collaborations.

Joseph Banks Joseph Banks contributed the oldest specimen in the PUR, a rust fungus from 1769
Stanley Coulter Stanley Coulter was an early proponent of herbaria at Purdue
E. B. Mains Edwin B. Mains was a mycological Purdue colleague of Arthur and Cummins
Yoshitaka Ono Yoshitaka Ono was a graduate student of Hennen and still collaborates with the PUR
Meredith Blackwell Many books in our library were donated by Meredith Blackwell