Palmer Collection
Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College

Samuel Copeland Palmer (1874—1964) served as Professor of Botany at Swarthmore College from 1909—1942. After his retirement, he devoted himself to recording all of the plants of Delaware County in Pennsylvania; when he finished the plants, he moved on to butterflies and moths. In 1952, Palmer donated the over–1500 individual watercolors to the College. These materials are currently maintained by the Biology Department.

Images are available for initial browsing by species name. Many illustrations include not only a depiction of the specimen with its root system, but frequently cross-sections of the seed pod, flowers, and other views. In addition to classification, date and place of collection, where known, are parts of the description.

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