Completed in 1889, The Fungi of Maryland by Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822-1903) is an unpublished manuscript featuring 175 detailed 13" by 15" watercolor illustrations, scientific descriptions, and mycological anecdotes. Among the fungi documented, 23 species were previously unknown to science and were later described in the Botanical Gazette and Charles H. Peck’s Annual Report of the New York State Botanist.

The manuscript was the culmination of over 20 years of field research and artistic study by Banning, a self-taught mycologist with a deep passion for Maryland’s fungal biodiversity. She corresponded extensively with Peck, who established the fungal collection at the New York State Museum. 

Despite her pioneering contributions, Banning spent her later years in poverty, and her manuscript, entrusted to Peck, remained hidden for nearly a century. Rediscovered in the 1980s, The Fungi of Maryland is now one of the most prized artifacts in the New York State Museum’s collection.