The M. White Herbarium was founded in December of 2024, our database contains a variety of taxa, both wild and cultivated plants collected in Portage and Trumbull counties of Ohio. Our mission is to advance the understanding of plant communities, distribution, morphology, taxonomy and plant identification. At the M. White Herbarium, we prioritize scientific research. We are not a "personal collection" and the M. White Herbarium team adheres to ethical scientific practices in order to promote conservation, preservation and botanical research. The M. White Herbarium as well as staff members are indexed in the New York Botanical Gardens Index Herbariorum, where the institution code is MWH. As a member of the Society of Herbarium Curators, our curator Matthew White collaborates with a number of other institutions and individuals in the field of Botanical Research, including volunteering of time and submission of specimens to the Tom S. and Miwako K. Cooperrider Herbarium at Kent State University.
Herbaria are important scientific collections of catalogued and preserved plant specimens. These provide us with an understanding of plant evolution, ecological communities and plant morphology. Herbaria allow for scientists to study changes in a community over time as well as track distribution of plant species, which is important in regard to both listed and introduced exotic species.