Western Prairie fringed orchid (Habenaria leucophaea (Nutt.) A. Gray [now recognized as Platanthera praeclara Sheviak & M.L. Bowles]) Collected by Magrath in Jefferson County, Kansas, June 23, 1969, unknown maker from the United States

An herbarium is a systematically arranged collection of preserved plants. The R. L. McGregor Herbarium houses approximately 400,000 specimens collected over the past 150 years. These include dried plant specimens (exsiccatae), seeds, and boxed and fluid-preserved vascular plant specimens. The herbarium also houses the largest single collection of plants from the grassland biome of central North America, as well as the largest collections of lichens and vascular plants from Kansas.

The Western Prairie fringed Orchid is found in the Midwest, west of the Mississippi River. This orchid enjoys a symbiotic relationship with specific fungi found in the soil and is fertilized by moths of the hawkmoth family. This species is primarily found in unplowed tall grass prairies and meadows. This species is threatened by habitat loss, herbicide use, and by orchid enthusiasts’ unsustainable collection methods.