The New York Botanical Garden, with over 5 million plant specimens, is an essential resource for botanical research in the U.S. and internationally, providing vast service to national and international community of scholars and students. The garden is strongly committed to its collections and research activities, as indicated by the long range plan to expand into a new wing in 1996 and to begin computerization of the vast holdings. This grant will enable the Garden to maintain its enormous loan/visitor program and to provide expansion capabilities until the new building is completed in 1996. Also this support will allow hitherto unstudied and underused parts of the collection-- lichens and fungi--to be identified, curated and used in the botanical research and education.
