Global Plants
The largest of its kind, Global Plants is a community-contributed database used by students and researchers worldwide.
Global Plants lets herbaria share their plant type specimens, experts determine and update plant names, and students discover and learn about plants in context. The database is an essential resource for institutions supporting research and teaching in botany, ecology, and conservation studies.
Get Global Plants at Your Library. Email us at participation@jstor.org and request a free trial of the Global Plants database.
Global Plants was made possible by the Global Plants Initiative (GPI), an international undertaking by leading herbaria.
The GPI seeks to digitize and make available plant type specimens and other holdings used by botanists every day. Partners include more than 300 institutions in more than 70 countries. JSTOR facilitates this initiative by providing production, platform, technical, and promotional support to the participating Global Plants Initiative partners.
Looking for guidance in contributing your specimens or promoting the database? Explore our Partner Resources.
Advisors
The content and the tools on Global Plants are driven by leading experts around the world, including:
Sir Peter Crane, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Brian Huntley, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Peter Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden
Gideon Smith, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Sebsebe Demissew, The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University
The work of the Global Plants Initiative is administered through the International Association of Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) and guided by the following advisory committee members:
Walter Berendsohn, Botanisches Museum Berlin, Germany
Paul Berry, University of Michigan, USA
Laura Brown, JSTOR
David Cantrill, National Herbarium of Victoria, Australia
Sebsebe Demissew, The National Herbarium, Ethiopia
Laurent Gautier, Botanical Garden of Geneva, Switzerland
Sandy Knapp, The Natural History Museum, United Kingdom
Chuck Miller, Missouri Botanical Garden, USA
Helga Ochoterena, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico
Lauren Raz, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia
Gideon Smith, SANBI, South Africa
Jeanine Velez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Herbaria
| Herbario Do Lubango (LUBA) |
| National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia, Institute of Botany (ERE) |
| Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (GZU) | Visit (GZU) |
| Naturhistorisches Museum Wien Botanische Abteilung (W) | Visit (W) |
| Universität Wien (WU) | Visit (WU) |
| Institute of Botany of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (BAK) |
| Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, La Paz, Bolivia (LPB) | Visit (LPB) |
| Herbier National du Burkina, Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherche Agricola (HNBU) | Visit (HNBU) |
| Université of Burundi (BJA) | Visit (BJA) |
| Cameroon National Herbarium (YA) | |
| Limbe Botanic Garden (LIMBE) |
| Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (SGO) | Visit (SGO) |
| Instituto Alexander von Humboldt (FMB) | |
| Jardín Botánico Joaquín Antonio Uribe (JAUM) | Visit (JAUM) |
| Universidad de Antioquia (HUA) | Visit (HUA) |
| Universidad Nacional de Colombia (COL) | Visit (COL) |
| Herbario Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INB) | Visit (INB) |
| The Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba (HAJB) | Visit (HAJB) |
| Charles University in Prague Herbarium (PRC) | Visit (PRC) |
| Museum Botanicum Hauniense, University of Copenhagen (C) | Visit (C) |
| Jardín Botánico Nacional Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso (JBSD) | Visit (JBSD) |
| Assiut University Herbarium (ASTU) | Visit (ASTU) |
| Cairo University Herbarium (CAI) |
| Jardín Botánico La Laguna (LAGU) | Visit (LAGU) |
| Museo de Historia Natural de El Salvador (MHES) | Visit (MHES) |
| National Herbarium (ETH) | Visit (ETH) |
| Botanical Museum, Finnish Museum of Natural History - University of Helsinki (H) | Visit (H) |
| University of Turku Herbarium (TUR) | Visit (TUR) |
| Tbilisi Botanical Garden and Institute of Botany, Legal Entity of Public Law Institute of Botany, Ilia State University (TBI) |
| Ghana Herbarium (GC) | Visit (GC) |
| Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVAL) | Visit (UVAL) |
| Herbier National de Guinée Sérédou-Macenta (SERG) | |
| Institut de Recherche Agronomique de Guinée (IRAG) |
| Escuela Agrícola Panamericana El Zamorano (EAP) | Visit (EAP) |
| Herbarium, Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) | Visit (TCD) |
| Centro Studi Erbario Tropicale Università degli Studi di Firenze (FT) | Visit (FT) |
| Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università, Firenze (FI) | Visit (FI) |
| National Museums of Kenya, East African Herbarium (EA) | Visit (EA) |
| Herbier du FO.FI.FA (TEF) | |
| Herbier du Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (TAN) | Visit (TAN) |
| Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong Botanical Gardens, Malaysia (KEP) | Visit (KEP) |
| Herbier National Mauritania (HNM) |
| Université Mohammed V-Agda (RAB) | Visit (RAB) |
| Eduardo Mondlane University (LMU) | Visit (LMU) |
| National Institute of Agronomic Research (LMA) |
| Department of Plant Resources (KATH) | Visit (KATH) |
| Allan Herbarium (CHR) | Visit (CHR) |
| Auckland Herbarium (AK) | Visit (AK) |
| Herbario Nacional de Nicaragua - Universidad Centroamericana (HNMN) | Visit (HNMN) |
| Herbario Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (HULE) | Visit (HULE) |
| Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria Taxonomy Section (FHI) |
| Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (SCZ) | Visit (SCZ) |
| Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) | Visit (STRI) |
| Universidad de Panamá (PMA) | Visit (PMA) |
| Herbario Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (USM) | |
| Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (MOL) | Visit (MOL) |
| Herbarium Russian Academy of Sciences - V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute (LE) | Visit (LE) |
| Saint Petersburg State S. M. Kirov Forest Technology Academy- Borodin Herbarium (KFTA) |
| Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN) | Visit (IFAN) |
| National Parks Board (SING) | Visit (SING) |
| Institute of Botany of Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) | Visit (SAV) |
| Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève (G) | Visit (G) |
| National Herbarium of Tanzania (NHT) |
| Bangkok Herbarium (BK) | Visit (BK) |
| Forest Herbarium (BKF) | Visit (BKF) |
| Université du Lomé (TOGO) |
| The National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago (TRIN) | Visit (TRIN) |
| Makerere University, Botany Department (MHU) | Visit (MHU) |
| Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (MVM) | Visit (MVM) |
| Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay (MVFA) | Visit (MVFA) |
| Academy of Science, Uzbekistan (TASH) | Visit (TASH) |
| Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela (VEN) | Visit (VEN) |
| Herbario Universitario, UNELLEZ - Guanare (PORT) | Visit (PORT) |
| Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (QCA) | Visit (QCA) |
| National Herbarium and Botanic Garden (SRGH) | Visit (SRGH) |
The Global Plants database contains more than two million high-resolution type specimens, and this number continues to grow. Plant type specimens are in great demand for scientific study because of their pivotal role as original vouchers of nomenclature. They also act as a historical record of changes in various flora.
The specimens have been hand-selected and meticulously digitized by partner herbaria with generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Database Features
Scientists, students, and others will find tools to help them conduct their research:
- Search: Find results quickly through domain-specific filters
- Image viewer: Examine high-resolution images with a newly improved image viewer; measure and save plant information
- Linking: Discover relevant journal articles on JSTOR, and content from the Biodiversity Heritage Library, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and Tropicos
- Commenting: Be part of the scientific discourse – active discussion on plant specimen data by experts in the field
- Stable Links: Locate, cite, and create stable links to type specimens
- Compilation Page: View all the resources in the database related to a particular plant name or taxon in one place
Related Primary Sources
Partner-contributed reference works and primary sources, such as collectors’ correspondence and diaries, paintings, drawings, and photographs, are also housed in Global Plants. Highlights include reference works and books such as The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa and Flowering Plants of South Africa; illustrations from Curtis's Botanical Magazine; and Kew’s Directors' Correspondence comprising handwritten letters and memoranda from the senior staff of Kew from 1841 to 1928.
Notable primary source objects include:
- Cook's Voyages to the South Seas
- Curtis's Botanical Magazine
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Director's Correspondence
- Linnean Annotated Books Collection
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa
Download a chart of all special collections in Global Plants.
For further information on Global Plants features and functionality, download this handout.
Getting Plants for Your Library
Ready to test out Global Plants and get feedback from students, faculty, and researchers at your library? Request a free trial and get started.
Access Fee
Institutions gain access to Global Plants through an annual access fee, which helps us sustain and improve the database.
Find out the fee for your institution using our price calculator, visit our fees section, or email us at participation@jstor.org.
Not Participating through Your Library?
Other access options are available through our Country-Wide Access Program and our Global Plants Champions program.
Current Library Participants
| Instituto Superior de Ciencias da Educacao |
| Australian National Herbarium |
| Australian National University |
| Dunedin Botanic Gardens |
| Edith Cowan University |
| Greening Australia |
| James Cook University |
| Kings Park and Botanic Garden |
| Monash University |
| Murdoch University |
| National Herbarium of New South Wales |
| National Herbarium of Victoria |
| Northern Territory Herbarium |
| Queensland Herbarium, Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation, and the Arts (DSITIA) |
| State Herbarium of South Australia |
| Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery |
| La Trobe University |
| University of Melbourne |
| University of New England |
| University of New South Wales |
| University of Newcastle |
| University of Sydney |
| University of Western Australia |
| Victoria University, Melbourne |
| Western Australian Herbarium |
| Naturhistorisches Museum Wien Botanische Abteilung |
| University of Graz |
| National Botanic Garden of Belgium |
| Herbario Nacional Forestal Martín Cárdenas |
| Instituto de Botânica, São Paulo |
| Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais - BHCB Herbarium |
| Algoma University |
| Canadian Museum of Nature |
| Concordia University College of Alberta |
| University of Alberta |
| University of British Columbia |
| University of New Brunswick |
| University of Ontario Institute of Technology |
| University of Toronto |
| University of Windsor |
| Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas de la Universidad de Chile Herbarium |
| Jardín Botánico Nacional |
| Universidad Católica del Norte |
| Academia Sinica |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microbiology |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Institute of Botany |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Botanical Garden |
| Chongqing Technology and Business University |
| Guizhou Minzu (Nationalities) University |
| Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden |
| South University of Science and Technology of China |
| Wuhan University |
| Zhejiang University |
| Zhongnan University of Economics and Law |
| Universidad de los Andes |
| Universidad del Tolima |
| Museo Nacional de Costa Rica |
| Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica |
| Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad |
| Instituto de Ecologia y Sistematica |
| Jardin Botanico Nacional de Cuba |
| Charles University in Prague |
| Jardin Botanico Nacional Dr. Rafael Maria Moscoso |
| Ecuadorian Museum of Natural Sciences |
| Universidad de Azuay Herbario |
| Universidad San Francisco de Quito Herbarium |
| Asociacion Jardin Botanico La Laguna |
| Museo de Historia Natural de El Salvador |
| The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia |
| University of Helsinki |
| Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle |
| University of Montpellier 2, Institute of Botany |
| Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD) |
| Botanische Staatssammlung München |
| Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Zentraleinrichtung der Freien Universität Berlin |
| Herbarium Senckenbergianum of Senckenberg Forschungsinstitute |
| University of Bayreuth |
| University of Giessen |
| University of Gottingen |
| University of Hamburg |
| University of Heidelberg |
| University of Hohenheim |
| Universidad de San Carlos, Facultad de Biología |
| Universidad del Valle, Guatemala |
| Escuela Agrícola Panamericana |
| Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras |
| Hungarian Natural History Museum |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute |
| South Asian University |
| Trinity College Dublin |
| Center for Asian Conservation Ecology |
| National Museum of Nature and Science |
| American University of Beirut |
| Forest Research Institute Malaysia Herbarium |
| Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S. C. Herbarium |
| Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigacion para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR) |
| Colegio de la Frontera Sur |
| Geo B. Hinton Consulting |
| Instituto de Ecologia, A.C. (INECOL) |
| Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán |
| Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |
| Yucatan Center for Scientific Research Herbarium |
| Naturalis Biodiversity Center |
| Wageningen University and Research Centre |
| Christchurch Botanic Gardens |
| Landcare Research, New Zealand |
| Lincoln University |
| Massey University |
| Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa |
| New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited (Scion) |
| Unitec Institute of Technology |
| University of Auckland |
| University of Canterbury |
| University of Otago |
| University of Waikato |
| Universidad Centroamericana |
| Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, Leon |
| UiT – The Arctic University of Norway |
| University of Oslo |
| Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama |
| Universidad de Panama Herbarium |
| Papua New Guinea Forest Research Institute |
| University of Puerto Rico Herbarium, Mayaguez |
| Hallym University |
| National Institute of Biological Resources |
| Russian Academy of Sciences, Komarov Botanical Institute |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology |
| Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |
| Singapore Botanic Gardens |
| Slovak Academy of Sciences |
| South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) |
| University of Pretoria |
| Institut Botànic de Barcelona |
| Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) |
| Universidad Pablo de Olavide |
| Stockholm University |
| Swedish Museum of Natural History |
| Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| University of Gothenburg |
| Conservatory & Botanical Garden of Geneva |
| Université de Neuchâtel Herbarium |
| University of Zurich |
| The University of the West Indies |
| Igdir University |
| Karadeniz Technical University |
| Uludag University |
| Yuzuncu Yil University |
| Khalifa University of Science Technology & Research |
| Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi |
| Imperial College London |
| Linnaean Society of London |
| Moulton College |
| Natural History Museum, London |
| Oxford University |
| Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |
| Royal Horticultural Society |
| University of Cambridge |
| University of Kent |
| University of Reading |
| Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia |
| Alderson-Broaddus College |
| Amherst College |
| Arizona State University, Tempe |
| Arkansas State University |
| Bowdoin College |
| California Academy of Sciences |
| Campbellsville University |
| Catalina Island Conservancy, Conservation Department |
| Chicago Botanic Garden |
| Christopher Newport University |
| Clemson University |
| Colby College |
| College of DuPage |
| College of Idaho |
| Colorado College |
| Colorado State University, Fort Collins |
| Cornell University |
| Davidson College |
| Denver Botanical Gardens |
| Donald Danforth Plant Science Center |
| Duke University |
| Fairmont State University |
| Field Museum |
| Flora of North America |
| Florida Natural History Museum |
| Glenstone |
| Harvard University |
| Iowa State University Herbarium |
| James Madison University |
| Kenyon College |
| Leech Lake Tribal College |
| Leech Lake Tribal College |
| Longwood Garden |
| Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Herbarium |
| Marie Selby Botanical Gardens |
| Miami University, Oxford |
| Michigan State University |
| Middle Tennessee State University |
| Middlebury College |
| Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Morton Arboretum |
| Museum of Indian Arts & Culture |
| Museum of International Folk Art |
| National Hispanic Cultural Center |
| National Tropical Botanical Garden |
| New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum |
| New Mexico Historic Sites |
| New Mexico History Museum |
| New Mexico Museum of Art |
| New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science |
| New Mexico Museum of Space History |
| New York Botanical Garden |
| North Carolina State University |
| Northern Virginia Community College |
| Northern Virginia Community College |
| Oberlin College |
| Ohio State University |
| Oklahoma State University |
| Old Dominion University |
| Pennsylvania State University, University Park |
| Presbyterian College |
| Prescott College |
| Princeton University |
| Purdue University, West Lafayette |
| Reed College |
| Rowan University |
| Sam Houston State University |
| San Diego Natural History Museum |
| The School for Field Studies |
| The School for Field Studies |
| Smith College |
| Smithsonian Institution |
| South Central College |
| St. John's University |
| Sweet Briar College |
| Syracuse University |
| Texas A&M International University |
| Texas State University, San Marcos |
| Thomas Jefferson Foundation |
| Truman State University |
| Tufts University |
| University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa |
| University of California, Berkeley |
| University of California, Davis |
| University of California, Irvine |
| University of California, Los Angeles |
| University of California, Merced |
| University of California, Riverside |
| University of California, San Diego |
| University of Colorado Museum |
| University of Florida |
| University of Hawaii, Manoa |
| University of Idaho |
| University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
| University of Kansas |
| University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| University of Miami UM |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |
| University of Nebraska, Lincoln |
| University of Notre Dame |
| University of Oregon |
| University of Texas System |
| University of Vermont |
| University of Wyoming |
| Vassar College |
| Warren Wilson College |
| West Texas A&M University |
| West Virginia University |
| Wheaton College, MA |
| Yale University |
| Universidad de la República Herbarium |
RELATED CONTENT
CONTENT ON JSTOR
- Archival Journalstext
- Current Journalstext
- Bookstext
- Primary Sourcestext
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