Rapid Reference Collection

Description: featured project thumbnailThe Rapid Reference Collection is an abridged version of the Field Museum’s herbarium, curated by Keller Science Action Center staff, which serves as a tool for quickly identifying Neotropical plants. Nearly a quarter of the New World flora is present in the RRC, where each species is represented by 1–3 digitized, expert-identified specimens. Search the RRC here (plantidtools.fieldmuseum.org/rrc), and browse our other plant identification tools here (plantidtools.fieldmuseum.org).
Credits: This database was developed with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and members of the Field Museum community: Withrow Meeker, Ellen Hyndman, Tobey and John Taylor and the Warwick Foundation, Liza and Al Pyott, and Jamee and Marshall Field. The Rapid Reference project is currently run by Nigel Pitman (oversight), Nancy Hensold (taxonomy, databasing), Colleen Dennis (imaging, databasing), and Robin Foster (founder), with significant support from the Field Museum herbarium and IT department. The following people played an important role in previous years: Corine Vriesendorp, Tyana Wachter, Margaret Metz, Heike Betz, and Ryan Peters. We are grateful for additional support from Mike Contraveos, Erica Bishop, Sarah Kaplan, Edna Davion, Allison Beck, Lydia Gentry, Ute Knoerr, Aaron Franklin, Amber Staub, Juliana Philipp, Jean Fincher, Freddie Robinson, Darlene Dowdy, and Alicia Castro. This website was designed by Nicole Borens, built by Nina Sandlin, Sharon Grant, Pete Herbst, and Kate Webbink, and launched in 2017 with support from an anonymous foundation.
Locations:
  • North America, USA, Illinois, Cook, Field Museum of Natural History. [LL]