This Florida Museum of Natural History of Web site provides a convenient, centralized clearinghouse for information on the Melastomataceae. Created to promote research on this common yet understudied family of tropical plants, the Melastomataceae of the World Web site provides images and background information, a phylogenetic overview, links to related research projects, contact information for...

Hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden, this website presents the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC)-National Collection of Endangered Plants which "contains plant material for more than 600 of the country's most imperiled native plants." The Collection website links to informative profiles for many endangered plants. Plant profile pages include the following concise sections: Distribution and...

Developed by the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland and the Environment and Heritage Service, the Flora of Northern Ireland is an artful online guide for plant distribution data and species descriptions (many accompanied by beautiful photos). Site visitors can search for plant descriptions by common or scientific name, family name (common or scientific), and plant group. Plant...

Developed by the Native Plant Society of British Columbia-in cooperation with the University of British Columbia's Spatial Data Lab and Herbarium-this website features a beautiful GIS-based atlas of British Columbia flora. Complemented by beautiful plant images, this electronic atlas is artful and well-organized. The atlas includes sections on plant groups, invasive species, floristics and...

The North American Native Plant Society (NANPS) is dedicated "to the study, conservation, cultivation and restoration of native plants." The NANPS website lists plant sources by region, and invites native plant growers to submit a listing for no charge. The site provides information about upcoming events across Canada and the United States; scholarship opportunities; related associations by...

The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service's Northeast National Technical Center in Chester, Pennsylvania produced Northeast Wetland Flora: Field Office Guide to Plant Species. The guide contains black and white illustrations, full species descriptions (with color photographs, illustrations, and small distribution maps), illustrated glossaries, an alphabetical species list (provides common and...

Representing the collections of the Oregon State University Herbarium, the Vascular Plants database "provides access to all known vascular plant holotypes (ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms) and isotypes..." all within three herbaria housed at Oregon State University, University of Oregon, and Willamette University. Although the Herbarium collections have a "strong emphasis on the state of...

While traveling through distant (and not-so-distant) lands for the primary purpose of discovering new plant species may not seem like everyone's cup of tea, this fine website pays homage to those very intrepid souls who devoted to their life to that pursuit. The site is not solely devoted to "plant explorers", although visitors will want to begin by browsing through the sections that introduce...

Roger P. Hangarter of Indiana University's Department of Biology has created this wonderful collection of time-lapse photography that allows us "to see the movements of plants and clearly demonstrates that plants are living and capable of some extraordinary things." The videos available show a broad range of plant growth phenomena, including germination, circadian responses, phototropism, and much...

The Smithsonian's lush and diverse 180-acre educational gardens, which the institution calls a "museum without walls," are now accessible to all via an array of virtual tours. Casual flower fans and horticulture buffs alike can simply scroll the page linked above to appreciate the Smithsonian's magnolia collection ("Magnolia Madness") or see the best and brightest fall colors at any time of the...