The PLANTS Advanced Search is designed to give our users complete flexibility in displaying and downloading data.
Field Names |
Choices
and Values |
Notes |
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1. Distribution |
PLANTS Floristic Area or Not |
Choose PLANTS Floristic Area, a variety of sub-areas, or Not in PLANTS Floristic Area.
PFA Sub-Area Code |
Description |
L48 |
Lower 48 States |
AK |
Alaska |
HI |
Hawaii |
PR |
Puerto Rico |
VI |
U.S. Virgin Islands |
CAN |
Canada |
GL |
Greenland (Denmark) |
SPM |
St. Pierre and Miquelon (France) |
NA |
North America (non-vascular use only) |
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The PLANTS database contains native and naturalized plants of the PLANTS Floristic Area (PFA), which consists of North America and all additional U.S. territories and protectorates. Vascular plant distributions are mapped at the state and province level, and by U.S. county. Our checklists for the non-vascular mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens cover all of North America north of Mexico; no additional distribution data are currently available for these plants. Checklist and plant distribution by island and island group for the U.S. territories and protectorates in the PFA Pacific Basin area are in preparation but are not yet included at PLANTS. The total number of PFA accepted taxa at the rank of binomial and below is about 38,000. PLANTS also has about 5000 vascular plants that do not occur spontaneously (i.e., are not naturalized) in the PFA; these are selected if you choose Not in PLANTS Floristic Area. Most of these are of economic importance, and many of them are cultivated within the PFA. |
State and Province |
Choose one or more states or provinces.
Postal Code |
Country |
USA |
U.S. States |
AL |
Alabama |
AK |
Alaska |
AZ |
Arizona |
AR |
Arkansas |
CA |
California |
CO |
Colorado |
CT |
Connecticut |
DE |
Delaware |
DC |
District of Columbia |
FL |
Florida |
GA |
Georgia |
HI |
Hawaii |
ID |
Idaho |
IL |
Illinois |
IN |
Indiana |
IA |
Iowa |
KS |
Kansas |
KY |
Kentucky |
LA |
Louisiana |
ME |
Maine |
MD |
Maryland |
MA |
Massachusetts |
MI |
Michigan |
MN |
Minnesota |
MS |
Mississippi |
MO |
Missouri |
MT |
Montana |
NE |
Nebraska |
NV |
Nevada |
NH |
New Hampshire |
NJ |
New Jersey |
NM |
New Mexico |
NY |
New York |
NC |
North Carolina |
ND |
North Dakota |
OH |
Ohio |
OK |
Oklahoma |
OR |
Oregon |
PA |
Pennsylvania |
RI |
Rhode Island |
SC |
South Carolina |
SD |
South Dakota |
TN |
Tennessee |
TX |
Texas |
UT |
Utah |
VT |
Vermont |
VA |
Virginia |
WA |
Washington |
WV |
West Virginia |
WI |
Wisconsin |
WY |
Wyoming |
USA+ |
U.S. Territories and Protectorates |
PR |
Puerto Rico |
VI |
Virgin Islands |
CAN |
Canada Provinces and Territories |
AB |
Alberta |
BC |
British Columbia |
MB |
Manitoba |
NB |
New Brunswick |
|
Newfoundland and Labrador |
LB |
Labrador |
NF |
Newfoundland |
NT |
Northwest Territories |
NS |
Nova Scotia |
NU |
Nunavut |
ON |
Ontario |
PE |
Prince Edward Island |
QC |
Québec |
SK |
Saskatchewan |
YT |
Yukon |
DEN |
Denmark |
GL |
Greenland |
FRA |
France |
SPM |
St. Pierre and Miquelon |
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We have distribution data for the vascular plants only, so if you restrict your search by either State and Province or County distribution, all other plants will be omitted from the results. |
County |
Choose up to a maximum of 256 counties. |
The interaction between State and County is OR (in contrast to the general interaction between search fields, which is AND). This lets you pick a state in addition to a county in a different state and get the plants that occur in either. However, most people who search on County will be interested in county distribution for only one state, and should leave State and Province set at Any. Do not choose a state from State and Province if you are interested in only the counties in that state. The choice list is restricted to those states and counties for which we have county-level distribution data. Regardless of source, county distribution data are notoriously incomplete and can only be considered preliminary. For a broader idea of what may grow spontaneously in a particular county you may want to include adjacent counties that are phytogeographically similar in your search. |
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2. Taxonomy |
Category |
Choose one or more of these broad
taxonomic Categories.
Category |
Category Name |
DI |
Dicot |
FN |
Fern |
GA |
Green alga |
GY |
Gymnosperm |
HN |
Hornwort |
HS |
Horsetail |
LC |
Lichen |
LV |
Liverwort |
LY |
Lycopod |
MO |
Monocot |
MS |
Moss |
QU |
Quillwort |
PS |
Whisk-fern |
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Symbol |
Enter as many Symbols separated
by commas into this text entry box as you like up to a limit of 500 characters. Wildcard characters (* and _) must be entered
explicitly. |
Downloads are automatically accompanied by the Accepted Symbol and Synonym Symbol in separate columns. Synonym Symbol is blank for accepted names; together these two symbols link synonyms to their accepted counterparts. If you want the symbol for each name--regardless of whether it is accepted or a synonym--in only one column, choose to Include Symbol in your download. |
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Scientific
Name |
Enter a Scientific Name into this text entry box if you wish. Wildcard characters (* and _) must be entered explicitly. Options: Include Accepted Names and Synonyms or Accepted Names Only; Include Only Hybrids or Only Non-Hybrids; Rank: Only Genus Epithet, Only Species Epithet, or only epithets at other available ranks; Display all Synonyms; Display Rank: Genus, Species, or other available ranks. |
Scientific Name, without authors, is included in every search result by default. If you want all the descendents of a genus returned, you must use the wildcard (*) after the genus name. The interaction is complex between Include Accepted Names and Synonyms / Include Accepted Names Only, and Display all Synonyms. You can omit synonyms from the search but then include all the synonyms that apply to the resulting Accepted names by choosing to Include Accepted Names Only and Display all Synonyms. Similarly, you can include Accepted names and Synonyms in the search and leave Display all Synonyms unchecked to exclude the synonyms that do not match your search criteria. Generally, unless you are doing taxonomic work or looking for complete synonymies, you will want to leave Display all Synonyms unchecked. Synonyms are always shown with their accepted counterparts. Rank is useful if you want to query only names of a particular rank, and Display Rank is useful if you want only certain ranks in your results; using these two options simultaneously should be done with care. Display all Synonyms overrides Display Rank so if you select this option all Synonyms will be reported regardless of rank. |
Author |
Enter an author name into this text entry box if you wish. Wildcard characters (* and _) must be entered explicitly. Options: Rank: Only Genus Author, Only Species Author, or only authors at other available ranks; Display Authors in Scientific Name; Display Authors and Scientific Name in separate fields. |
Rank is useful if you want to query only authors at particular ranks. Display Authors in Scientific Name provides each name part with its authority in a single string. Display Authors and Scientific Name in separate fields provides each name part and its authority in separate fields. The latter option will be used most commonly if you intend to download results for further analysis or use. |
Common Name |
Enter a Common Name into this text
entry box if you wish. Wildcard characters (* and _) must be entered
explicitly. |
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Genus |
Enter a Genus name into this text
entry box if you wish. Wildcard characters (* and _) must be entered
explicitly. |
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Family |
Choose one or more Families. |
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Family Symbol |
Unique six character symbols are available for all Families. |
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Family Common Name |
Choose one or more Family Common Names. |
Family Common Names for vascular plants are mostly from Cronquist, A. 1981. An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants. Columbia University Press, New York. |
Order |
Choose one or more Orders. |
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Subclass |
Choose one or more Subclasses. |
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Class |
Choose one or more Classes. |
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Subdivision |
Choose one or more Subdivisions. |
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Division |
Choose one or more Divisions. |
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Superdivision |
Choose one or more Superdivisions. |
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Subkingdom |
Choose one or more Subkingdoms. |
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Kingdom |
Choose one of the two Kingdoms. |
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ITIS
TSN |
Enter as many ITIS TSN's (Integrated
Taxonomic Information System Taxonomic Serial Numbers) separated by commas
into this text entry box as you like. |
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3. Ecology |
Duration |
Choose one or more Durations.
Code |
Duration |
AN |
Annual |
BI |
Biennial |
PR |
Perennial |
UN |
Unknown |
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Some plants have different Durations depending on environment or location, so a plant can have more than one value. Multiple values are reported in order of increasing longevity in nature. |
Growth Habit |
Choose one or more Growth Habits.
Code |
Growth Habit |
FB |
Forb/herb |
GR |
Graminoid |
LC |
Lichenous |
LI |
Liana |
NP |
Nonvascular |
SH |
Shrub |
SS |
Subshrub |
TR |
Tree |
VI |
Vine |
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Some plants have different Growth Habits depending on environment or location, so a plant can have more than one value. Multiple values are reported roughly in order of decreasing frequency in nature. |
Native Status |
Choose Native Status conditions for the Native Status jurisdictions. In the PLANTS searches including the Advanced Search, the various values have been collapsed onto the two primary values (Native and Introduced), but the results will return the actual values. See below for all the values and how they map onto the two primary search values.
Code |
Native Status Jurisdiction |
L48 |
Lower 48 States |
AK |
Alaska |
HI |
Hawaii |
PR |
Puerto Rico |
VI |
U.S. Virgin Islands |
CAN |
Canada |
GL |
Greenland (Denmark) |
SPM |
St. Pierre and Miquelon (France) |
NA |
North America (non-vascular Native Status is at this level only) |
Code |
Native Status |
|
Native: |
N |
Native |
N? |
Probably Native |
NI |
Native and Introduced - some infra-taxa are native and others are introduced |
NI? |
Native and Probably Introduced - some infra-taxa are native and others are probably introduced |
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Introduced: |
GP |
Garden persistent - persists around gardens and old habitations, not naturalized |
GP? |
Probably Garden persistent - persists around gardens and old habitations, not naturalized |
I |
Introduced |
I? |
Probably Introduced |
N?I |
Probably Native and Introduced - some infra-taxa are probably native and others are introduced |
W |
Waif - an ephemeral introduction, not persistently naturalized |
W? |
Probably a Waif - an ephemeral introduction, not persistently naturalized |
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We have broken the PFA into Native Status jurisdictions to try to improve our information about where plants are native. A plant that is native to any part of a Native Status jurisdiction (e.g., L48, the lower 48 states) is considered Native, even if some populations within that area are introduced. Thus the L48 Native Status value for smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) is N (Native) despite the existence of introduced populations on the West Coast. However, a plant like dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is considered Native and Introduced since it has some infra-taxa that are native to L48 and some that are introduced there. Plants that do not occur in the PFA do not have Native Status values in PLANTS, though they may be cultivated or used as ornamentals within the PFA. |
Photosynthetic Pathway |
Choose one or more Photosynthetic Pathways
Photosynthetic Pathway |
C3 |
C3, CAM |
C3? |
C3-C4 intermediate |
C3-CAM intermediate |
C4 |
C4? |
CAM |
CAM? |
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These data are not yet available.
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4. Legal Status |
If you search on any of the Legal
Status fields you will get all the resulting plants that meet your criteria,
including synonyms, even if you exclude synonyms from both the search and
the display. This is because legal status is attached to some names
that we consider synonyms, and the status applies legally only to that name. |
Federal
Noxious Status |
Restrict results to plants with
or without Federal Noxious Weed status.
Code |
Noxious Description |
NW |
Noxious weed |
Q |
Quarantine |
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Federal Noxious Common Name |
This is the common name used by
the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection
and Quarantine (PPQ) program. It may differ from the name used by PLANTS. |
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State
Noxious Status |
Restrict results to plants with
or without State Noxious Weed status, or to status in particular states.
Code |
Noxious Description |
ADW |
"A" designated weed |
AW |
A list (noxious weeds) |
BDW |
"B" designated weed |
BW |
B list (noxious weeds) |
CAT1 |
Category 1 noxious weed |
CAT2 |
Category 2 noxious weed |
CAT3 |
Category 3 noxious weed |
CAW |
Class A noxious weed |
CBW |
Class B noxious weed |
CCW |
Class C noxious weed |
CW |
C list (noxious weeds) |
IAP |
Invasive aquatic plant |
IB |
Invasive, banned |
ILAP |
Invasive aquatic plant |
INB |
Invasive, not banned |
NAW |
Noxious aquatic weed |
NP |
Noxious plant |
NUW |
Nuisance weed |
NW |
Noxious weed |
NWSPQ |
Noxious weed seed and plant quarantine |
P |
Prohibited |
PAP1 |
Prohibited aquatic plant, Class 1 |
PAP2 |
Prohibited aquatic plant, Class 2 |
PIB |
Potentially invasive, banned |
PINB |
Potentially invasive, not banned |
PIS |
Prohibited invasive Species |
PN |
Public nuisance |
PNW |
Prohibited noxious weed |
PP |
Plant pest |
PR |
Permit required |
PRNW |
Primary noxious weed |
Q |
Quarantine |
QW |
Q list (temporary "A" list noxious weed, pending final
determination ) |
RGNW |
Regulated noxious weeds |
RNPS |
Regulated non-native plant species |
RNW |
Restricted noxious weed |
SNW |
Secondary noxious weed |
SP |
Sale prohibited |
WAWQ |
Wetland and aquatic weed quarantine |
|
Be aware if you use this in conjunction
with 1. Distribution. Most plants on state noxious weed lists occur
in the respective states, but not all, so if you restrict results to distribution
within states you may eliminate some plants from the noxious weed lists. |
State Noxious Common Name |
This is the common name used by
each state which lists a plant as noxious. It may differ from the name used
by PLANTS. |
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PLANTS Invasive Status |
Restrict results to plants with
or without PLANTS Invasive Status, or to status from particular invasive
lists.
U.S. |
Plant Protection and Quarantine. 2006. Federal noxious weed list (24 May 2006).
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Washington, DC. 2pp. |
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USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine. 2005. Federal domestic quarantines (24 May 2006).
USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine.
Washington, DC. |
STATE |
Assorted authors. 200_. State noxious weed lists for 46 states.
State agriculture or natural resource departments. |
Cal-IPC |
California Invasive Plant Council. 2006. California Invasive Plant Inventory. Cal-IPC Publication 2006-02 (February 2007).
California Invasive Plant Council.
Berkeley, California. |
FLEPPC |
Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. 1999. Invasive plant list (19 October 1999).
Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.
Florida. |
HEAR |
USDI, Geological Survey. 1999. Information index for selected alien plants in Hawaii (20 October 2003).
Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk Project, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station.
Makawao, Hawaii. |
KY |
Haragan, P.D. 1991. Weeds of Kentucky and adjacent states: a field guide.
The University Press of Kentucky.
Lexington, Kentucky. 278pp. |
N'EAST |
Uva, R.H., J.C. Neal, & J.M. DiTomaso. 1997. Weeds of the Northeast.
Cornell University Press.
Ithaca, New York. 397pp. |
NE&GP |
Stubbendieck, J., G.Y. Friisoe, & M.R. Bolick. 1994. Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains.
Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry.
Lincoln, Nebraska. 589pp. |
SEEPPC |
Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council. 1996. Invasive exotic pest plants in Tennessee (19 October 1999).
Research Committee of the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council.
Tennessee. |
SWSS |
Southern Weed Science Society. 1998. Weeds of the United States and Canada. CD-ROM.
Southern Weed Science Society.
Champaign, Illinois. |
WI |
Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns (eds.). 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants.
Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources.
Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp. |
WSWS |
Whitson, T.D. (ed.) et al. 1996. Weeds of the West.
Western Society of Weed Science in cooperation with Cooperative Extension Services, University of Wyoming.
Laramie, Wyoming. 630pp. |
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Federal T/E Status |
Restrict results to plants with
or without Federal Threatened or Endangered status.
Code |
T/E Description |
E |
Endangered |
T |
Threatened |
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Federal T/E Common Name |
This is the common name used by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Division of Endangered Species.
It may differ from the name used by PLANTS. |
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State
T/E Status |
Restrict results to plants with
or without State Threatened or Endangered status, or to status in particular
states.
Code |
T/E Description |
CE |
Commercially Exploited |
E |
Endangered |
EV |
Exploitably Vulnerable |
X |
Extirpated |
FP |
Fully Protected |
HS |
Highly Safeguarded |
H |
Historical |
PX |
Possibly Extirpated |
PRX |
Presumed Extirpated |
PREX |
Probably Extirpated |
CY |
Protected as a Cactus, Yucca, or Christmas tree |
R |
Rare |
RI |
Reintroduced |
SA |
Salvage Assessed |
SR |
Salvage restricted |
S |
Sensitive |
SC |
Special Concern |
T |
Threatened |
U |
Unusual |
V |
Vulnerable |
WL |
Watch list |
|
Selects state T/E plants by where
they are listed. Use this field in conjunction with 1. Distribution if you
want to select state T/E plants by where they occur. |
State T/E Common Name |
This is the common name used by
each state which lists a plant as protected. It may differ from the name
used by PLANTS. |
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National
Wetland Indicator Status |
Restrict results to plants with
any NWI status, one or more particular statuses, or no status.
Code |
Wetland Type |
OBL |
Obligate Wetland |
FACW |
Facultative Wetland |
FAC |
Facultative |
FACU |
Facultative Upland |
UPL |
Obligate Upland |
NA |
No agreement |
NI |
No indicator |
NO |
No occurrence |
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Regional
Wetland Indicator (Region) |
Restrict results to plants that
are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as having regional wetland
status within any region or one or more particular regions.
Code |
Region |
1 |
Northeast |
2 |
Southeast |
3 |
North Central |
4 |
North Plains |
5 |
Central Plains |
6 |
South Plains |
7 |
Southwest |
8 |
Intermountain |
9 |
Northwest |
0 |
California |
A |
Alaska |
C |
Caribbean |
H |
Hawaii |
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The distributions in PLANTS do not agree perfectly with the regional distributions implied by NWI; most discrepancies exist since NWI has not been updated since 1988. Use care if you combine geographic criteria such as state distribution with Regional Wetland Indicator criteria. |
Regional
Wetland Indicator (Status) |
Restrict results to plants with
any Regional NWI status or one or more particular statuses.
Code |
Wetland Type |
OBL |
Obligate Wetland |
FACW |
Facultative Wetland |
FAC |
Facultative |
FACU |
Facultative Upland |
UPL |
Obligate Upland |
NA |
No agreement |
NI |
No indicator |
NO |
No occurrence |
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Will usually be used in conjunction
with the previous field to select one or more particular statuses within
a given region or regions. |
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5. Additional
information in PLANTS |
Gallery |
Restrict results to plants with
or without photos or line drawings. |
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Fact
Sheets |
Restrict results to plants with
or without Fact Sheets. |
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Plant
Guides |
Restrict results to plants with
or without Plant Guides. |
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Characteristics
Data |
Restrict results to plants with
or without Characteristics Data. |
If you select Only Without Characteristics
Data and then enter any criteria in Part B: Characteristics Data, the result
will be null. |
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Part B: Characteristics
Data |
See Conservation Plant Characteristics Data Definitions for information about these fields and their values. |
Cultivar Name: This is the formal name given to each cultivar. If no cultivar name is given then data refer to the species as a whole. There are a few plants that have only cultivar data and lack species data, but most plants with cultivar data also have separate species data. |
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