The University and Jepson Herbaria
University of California, Berkeley

About the Jepson Herbarium

The mission of the Jepson Herbarium is to understand and conserve the California flora through systematic, floristic, and conservation biology studies and to communicate knowledge of the flora through publications and instructional programs. The goals and programs of the Jepson Herbarium are based on three directives put forth by our founder, Willis Linn Jepson:

 • Update the Manual of the Flowering Plants of California (1925)

 • Complete A Flora of California with color illustrations

 • Maintain and expand the botanical collection and library

Willis Linn Jepson

Willis Linn Jepson
(1867–1946), in the Sierra Nevada, 1911.
California's most eminent early botanist
and founder of the Jepson Herbarium (1950).

Data from current and past floristic studies of the Jepson Herbarium are available through the Jepson Online Interchange for California Floristics; this resource provides the latest information on identification, taxonomy, nomenclature, distribution, ecology, relationships, and diversity of California vascular plants. Large databases of specimen label and horticultural information are also available. Willis Jepson’s field books are available online.

In addition to overseeing the Jepson Flora Project, the Jepson Curator maintains an active research program. He and his graduate students employ biosystematic, morphological, and molecular techniques to answer questions related to phylogeny, ecology, and evolution of plants.

Through all of the programs of the Herbarium, we strive to be a liaison between the scientific community and the interested public and support conservation efforts around the state.
The Jepson Manual, Second Edition
Jepson Manual, Vascular Plants of California, Second edition is available.
Errata here

In addition to research and floristic studies, the Herbarium provides educational opportunities for interested amateur and professional botanists through the weekend workshop series.