New Website - U.S. Vascular Plant Checklist - Full Text Index

[Hugh Wilson]

 "A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States,
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands" is now available at:

http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/b98/check98.htm

This site will be under development as a research collaboration
involving the Biota of North America Program and the Texas A&M
Bioinformatics Working group over the next several months and user
input regarding prototype function, in terms of both content (BONAP)
and operation (TAMU-BWG), will be appreciated.

The current version provides access to a fully synonymized checklist
for 21, 678 vascular plant species (plus 8, 174 infraspecific taxa)
representing 295 vascular plant families (3, 273 genera).  Text
output includes links to over 30, 000 taxon-level distribution maps,
over 12, 000 digital images, and more than 10, 000 state-level
distribution maps for Texas and California.  This system includes a
prototype 'diversity mapping' feature that we will be developing
further.  However, this can be examined by selection of  'Browse
Families' from the current menu (base of page), and 'A' from the next
menu, and "Acanthaceae" (and select 'to genera' button), will produce
a listing for genera of this family that includes links to a
family-level diversity map (click on family name at the top of the
page) and similar maps for genera (click on the local name).

Diversity  maps, generated 'on the fly' from an updatable data file,
allows the user to see multiple 'overlays' of taxon distributions
with color codes indicating numbers of taxa per state.

Indices used  text and mapping data sources for this system can
be queried via URL from outside the frame-based user interface (see
'concept' from the home page).

The site is a developmental extension, in terms of content and
function, of the 'Flora2k' site at:

http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/kartesz/flora2ka.htm



Hugh D. Wilson
Texas A&M University - Biology
h-wilson at tamu.edu (409-845-3354)
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/Wilson/homepage.html