CASPER, Wyo. — Indian paintbrush is the state flower of Wyoming.
A Wyoming Indian paintbrush also became the millionth specimen mounted at the University of Wyoming’s Rocky Mountain Herbarium on Friday, Jan. 24 in the Aven Nelson Building in Laramie.
“The specimen chosen to be 1 millionth was Castilleja linariifolia, which is Wyoming’s state flower and is commonly known as Indian paintbrush,” UW said on Monday, Jan. 27. “This species can be found in many locations across the state.”
“The herbarium is rich in specimens throughout the United States, Canada and northern Europe, but it specifically boasts the largest collection of Wyoming and Rocky Mountain plants in the world to reflect the region’s biological diversity and evolutionary history.”
Volunteer Madison Dale had the honor of gluing the Indian paintbrush as members of the UW Board of Trustees and other looked on.
“’The addition of a millionth specimen to a herbarium is a major accomplishment,’ Director Greg Brown says. ‘The Rocky Mountain Herbarium is the most significant natural history collection in Wyoming and the dominant, most important herbarium in the entire Rocky Mountain region.'”
“‘It was important to have the Board of Trustees in attendance not only because of these facts, but to recognize the fact that this is an area of modern science where UW is a recognized leader and truly on the cutting edge of science.’”
The herbarium was established in 1899 and is the largest such facility west of St. Louis in the United States.
“It currently ranks 56th among the 3,324 herbaria in the world and 14th in the United States,” UW says. “It is the fifth largest herbarium at a public U.S. university.”
“The herbarium is working with several other partners to create a comprehensive digital archive of plant specimens native to the southern Rocky Mountain region as part of a $2.9 million award from the National Science Foundation in 2017. As the largest herbarium in the region, the Rocky Mountain Herbarium has contributed a significant number of specimens, while assisting smaller institutions in their digitizing and imaging efforts.”
