Oakes Ames Gives Orchid Collection to Harvard Museum

Assembled from far parts of the world, over a 50 period, one of the greatest collections of orchids has been given to the University by Professor Oakes Ames, it was announced yesterday.

The herbarium holds 57,000 specimens, and the Ames gift also included an orchid library of 1,800 volumes, and a sum of $68,000 to endow a curatorship. Professor Ames has been a member of the Harvard staff since 1899, with the rank of full professor since 1926.

Mostly Wild Flowers

Included in the herbarium are some 15,000 different species of this rare flower, representing all the colors of the rainbow; some with leaves, others without; and some that grow and blossom underground. A majority of the flowers grew on rocks and in trees, but there are some non-wild and common orchids of the type worn in this country.

Because of its size and diversification the collection has become one of the most noted private herbariums of its kind in the world. It is particularly strong in types from the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.

The herbarium was directly given to the Harvard Museum, to which collectors from all over the globe annually send specimens for determination of species.