The mycological collections of the Illinois Natural History Survey and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign originated in 1881 with the rust collection of A.B. Seymour (1881–1886) and the powdery mildew collection of T.J. Burrill (1882–1885). These collections were integrated and housed in the Natural History Building on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign until 1921, when the plant disease specimens were segregated and became the basis for the plant disease collection of the Illinois Natural History Survey.
Between 1921 and 1924, special emphasis was placed on obtaining plant disease specimens, adding 18,000 to the collection. Subsequent curators and researchers shaped the collection through their specialized work:
- Gilbert L. Stout (1926–1930) was the first plant pathologist to survey plant diseases in Illinois.
- Gideon H. Boewe (1930–1966) focused on disease incidence, distribution, and severity of plant diseases.
- Leo R. Tehon (1921–1954) specialized in Ascomycetes and Fungi Imperfecti that cause plant disease.
- James C. Carter (1934–1974) was an authority on diseases of shade trees and ornamentals.
- J. Leland Crane (1967–2001) studied aquatic Ascomycetes and Fungi Imperfecti.
- Andrew N. Miller (2004–present) is adding Basidiomycetes and terrestrial Ascomycetes to the collection.
Primarily excerpted from:
Crane JL, Tazik PP. 1992. Catalog of types of the Illinois Natural History Survey mycological collections (ILLS). Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 34(6): 535–550. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.inhs.v34.136.