Vascular Plant Families - Trees & Shrubs - Gymnosperms - Wildflowers - Graminoids
Pteridophytes - Bryophytes - Lichens

Cultivated Plants - Rare Plants - Weeds & Invasive Species - Poisonous Plants - Ethnobotany - First Nations

North America - Canada - U.S.A. - Other Countries

Taxonomic Databases - Miscellany - Glossaries & Dictionaries

Choose one of the links above for a list of plant-related websites about that category. Selected websites include only non-commercial, free-access sites that do not require passwords. The links provided have all been checked as of April 18, 2008, but visitors should note that most large websites have a regular downtime for editing and uploading more information. Often, this downtime occurs on the weekends, especially Sunday night (students take note!). If you find a link that doesn't work, try that site again at a different time or on a different day; if it still does not work, please report the problematic link to the NOPD.

Taxonomic Databases

The databases listed below have been essential for checking and double-checking the nomenclatural information found in the Northern Ontario Plant Database. The most important websites for information on North American species are IPNI, GRIN, and TROPICOS. Note that even the best databases often have conflicting information, so several sources should be consulted.

ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/epic/
A searchable database from The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, providing bibliographic references and other information; nomenclatural information is from IPNI.

Flora Europaea
http://193.62.154.38/FE/fe.html
A searchable database of plant species found in Europe, from the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh. Note that the accepted names in this website do not always agree with those in North American databases.

GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) - Taxonomy for Plants
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl
A searchable database of primarily economic plant names, which includes world ranges, common names in several languages, and information on economic importance. An excellent resource on cultivated plants.

ICBN - Vienna Code
http://ibot.sav.sk/icbn/main.htm
The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Vienna Code), which details the rules concerning the naming of non-cultivated plants. Published by the International Association for Plant Taxonomy. The Vienna version of the code was adopted in July 2005.

ICNCP
http://www.ishs.org/sci/icracpco.htm
The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, which details the rules concerning the naming of cultivated plants. Also published by the International Association for Plant Taxonomy.

Index of Botanists
http://asaweb.huh.harvard.edu:8080/databases/botanist_index.html
This searchable database from the Harvard University Herbaria contains information on all authors of botanical names and many plant collectors. Included are basic biographical details, official abbreviations of author names, and lists of their major publications. This is the database to use if you are not sure how to cite the authorities of scientific names.

Index Herbariorum
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/IndexHerbariorum.asp
A searchable database of the herbaria of the world. You can search for information about a particular herbarium by its acronym (the official abbreviation assigned to each herbarium) or by the name of the institution.

Index Synonymique de la Flore de France
http://www.dijon.inra.fr/flore-france/consult.htm
A searchable database of plant synonyms, with authorities and publication dates, of vascular plants found in France. Nomenclatural information on many of our weed species can be found here.

IPNI - The International Plant Names Index
http://www.ipni.org/ipni/plantnamesearchpage.do
A searchable database of vascular plant names from the Royal Botanical Garden-Kew (UK), Harvard University Herbarium, and the Australian National Herbarium.

IPNI - Author Query
http://www.ipni.org/ipni/authorsearchpage.do
A searchable database of botanists who have named plants and have made major historical collections.

IPNI - Publications Query
http://www.ipni.org/ipni/publicationsearchpage.do
A searchable database of historical and major recent botanical publications with authors, dates of publication, titles and abbreviations.

ITIS - Integrated Taxonomic Information System
http://www.itis.gov/
Another nomenclature website searchable by common or scientific name, similar to IPNI, but dealing with world plant, animal, fungi, and microbe species; also includes information on the taxonomic hierarchy (classification) of each species.

Mansfeld's World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/Taxonomy/search_names-mf.htm
A searchable database of crop plants, very useful for crop species and cultivar information, but the site does not always include the latest taxonomic information.

Tropicos
http://mobot.mobot.org/Pick/Search/most.html
A newly updated searchable database of flowering plant and bryophyte nomenclature, specimens, and images from the Missouri Botanical Garden. An indispensable website for botany students.