USDA Forest Service Xylarium
>128,000 Specimens (wood blocks + vouchers)
on the campus of UW-Madison
Within the Forest Products Research Laboratory is the largest (>103,000 samples) and best wood collection in the world – MADw. Wood anatomists on staff use the samples in the collection for anatomical research and for comparisons in species identification. The Xylarium adds new specimens, updates name changes, and loans material to other wood anatomists throughout the world as requested. A large percentage of the collection has been databased, and the staff continue to add specimens as they are accessioned. Eventually the database will contain all specimen records, including those of the important S. J. Record collection (55,000 specimens).
The herbarium voucher specimens associated with many of the wood blocks (MAD; ~25,000 sheets) is now on permenant loan to the Wisconsin State Herbarium (WIS), and housed there as a separate collection.
Learn more about the MAD wood collection and search their site