Flora of North America North of Mexico--Phase 2

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The Flora of North America Project is a collaborative endeavor among U.S. and Canadian museums and universities to produce an authoritative taxonomic inventory of all species of vascular plants growing without cultivation in North America north of Mexico. This would include all the ferns, gymnosperms (conifers and cycads), and flowering plants, estimated at 17,000 to 20,000 species. Twelve printed volumes and a computerized database are to be prepared, to contain morphological descriptions, chromosome numbers, geographic range, vernacular names, and habitat and phenological notes (seasonality of flowering and fruiting), all arranged within a modern taxonomic system of classification. The database will be maintained as an ongoing resource and will provide easy access to the data for a wide range of users. Phase two activity includes editorial work, preparation and illustration of species-level treatments, workshops for authors, and management of the database. Groups of plants that will receive attention during the grant period include Cyperaceae (sedge family), Fabaceae (bean family), and Rosaceae (rose family). The Flora of North America project provides a synthesis of up-to-date taxonomic information on the plants of the North American continent north of Mexico. Such information will be of use to resource managers, conservationists, those exploring economic and medicinal uses of plants, and research biologists. The inventory will form the baseline data by which changes in local and global environmental conditions can be monitored, and it will furnish a summary of the plant diversity of this continental region.