Resource Center: Horticulture

Plant Information Databases

What to plant . . .

Centers of Plant Diversity
Detailed information for more than forty major sites for plant biodiversity throughout the Americas. Includes tables with information on species richness and endemism, floristic diversity and endemism by region, degree of threat, and an analysis of conservation status. Published originally in 1997 by the World Wildlife Fund and The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and coordinated by the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Systematic Biology - Botany.

GardenWeb Glossary of Botanical Terms
Currently contains more than 4,000 terms relating to botany, gardening, horticulture and landscape architecture and is regularly updated. From GardenWeb.com.

Internet Directory for Botany
An international collaborative effort to collect and annotate links to sources of botanical information on the Web. Thousands of entries.

Landscape Plants
Images and information for more than 450 woody landscape plants. Images include plant habit, branches, leaves, fruit, flowers and buds. From Oregon State University.

Plant Facts
An enormous collection of fact sheets and bulletins created by extension services and universities throughout the United States and Canada. Maintained by the Ohio State University.

Plants Database
Images and detailed information on morphology, cultural requirements, suitability for various uses, management, and distribution maps. From the USDA.

And what not to plant . . .

Noxious Weeds
This is the federal list of noxious weeds. Includes fact sheets, listservs, permit information for control agents, Technical Advisory Group information.

Weeds Gone Wild
Information from the National Park Service on alien plant invaders of natural areas.

Botanical Dermatology Database
How did you get that rash? Here's a database of dermatological reactions to a wide variety of plants.

Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System
Many of the plants described in this database grow throughout a large portion of North America.

Guide to Poisonous Plants
Plant images and descriptions, animals affected, toxic principle, diagnosis and treatment. Maintained by the Colorado State University College.

Nomenclature

International Plant Names Database
Names and associated basic bibliographical details of all seed plants intended to eliminate the need for repeated reference to primary sources for basic bibliographic information about plant names. A collaboration between The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Harvard University Herbaria, and the Australian National Herbarium.

A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the US, Canada, and Greenland
Queries yield taxonomic rank and hierarchy from division to genus and below.

W3Tropicos
Missouri Botanical Garden's VAST (VAScular Tropicos) nomenclatural database and associated authority files.

Plant Pathology and Pests

Gypsy Moth in North America
All about gypsy moths, including history, life cycle, maps and management. From the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station.

Pest Management and Identification
The University of California's official guidelines for pest monitoring techniques, pesticides, and non-pesticide alternatives for managing pests in homes and landscapes. Includes images, identification (and misidentification), medical implications, control, chemical warning, and a glossary.

Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Plan
Ant facts, management techniques, current research, and an ominous Future Infestation Map.

Integrated Pest Management

Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America
Photographs and descriptions of biological control (or biocontrol) agents of insect, disease and weed pests in North America. Includes a tutorial on the concept and practice of biological control and integrated pest management (IPM). From Cornell University.

Database of IPM Resources
An information retrieval system of worldwide IPM information resources accessible via the Web. Has an excellent search interface with options to search by keyword, definitions, concepts, case histories, research, and type of pest. Check out the "Best Sites" list for information on entomology, IPM, pesticides, pathology, and weeds.

Radcliffe's IPM World Textbook
An electronic textbook of Integrated Pest Management featuring contributed chapters by internationally recognized experts. From the University of Minnesota; funded by the National Science Foundation.

Pesticides

EPA Office of Pesticide Programs
A large and useful collection of pesticide information, safety programs, data sources and fact sheets, IPM, and pesticide impact on endangered species. From the Environmental Protection Agency.

ExToxNet: Extension Toxicology Network
A university consortium providing science-based information about pesticides for the non-expert. Includes Pesticide Information Profiles, Toxicology Information Briefs, news and technical information.

Pesticide Information Resources
A large and well-organized set of links to information on pesticide safety, environmental and health protection, IPM, laws and regulations, labeling and MSDS, and more. Maintained by the University of Nebraska.

Plant Collections Management

If you're interested in developing your grounds as a botanical garden you need a collections policy. The American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta gives step-by-step instructions in How to Write a Plant Collections Policy.

Professional Organizations

American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta
Supporting North American botanical gardens and arboreta in their mission to study, display, and conserve living plant collections for public benefit.

American Nursery and Landscape Association
Providing services for growers, distributors, and retailers of plants as well landscape designers / builders.

American Phytopathological Society
The professional and scientific organization dedicated to the study and control of plant diseases.

American Society for Horticultural Science
Promoting and encouraging scientific research and education in horticulture within the United States and throughout the world.

American Society of Plant Taxonomists
Promoting research and teaching in the taxonomy, systematics, and phylogeny of vascular and nonvascular plants.

Association of Zoological Horticulture
Dedicated to the advancement of zoo horticulture in zoological parks, gardens and aquariums.

Botanical Society of America
Promoting botany, the basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere.

International Society of Arboriculture
Aligned on many fronts with other green organizations, ISA works to foster a better understanding of trees and tree care through research and the education of professionals as well as global efforts to inform tree care consumers.

Professional Grounds Management Society
Serving the institutional grounds professional generalist who has responsibilities for turf, trees, woody ornamentals and flowers, and outdoor structures, including roads, sidewalks, parking lot maintenance, and snow removal.

Weed Science Society of America
Excellent information on herbicide manufacturers, government regulations, herbicide resistance, noxious weeds, and images of weeds and plants with poisonous or toxic effects.