POWO Taxonomic Reference

Species Database and Taxonomy

Plant species taxonomy and names are complex subjects. Botanical institutes worldwide publish species lists for their country (taxonomic databases or checklists), which must be regularly updated to integrate new species or revise old ones (change of author, synonymy, genus transfer, etc.).

To overcome this challenge, Pl@ntNet uses a global database provided by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, accessible on Plants Of The World Online (POWO) and called WCVP. This checklist provides up-to-date names and attempts to cover plants from all countries, while providing additional information.

The public standard provided by the TDWG (Taxonomic Database Working Group) uses specific geographical areas for each country and region. The World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD), associated with the POWO checklist, allows Pl@ntNet to provide a flora specific to each country.