Announcing Calflora.Org

Have you ever wondered where to find free and reliable information about your favorite Bay Area plants? A unique, comprehensive online resource, CalFlora (www.calflora.org), serves as a clearinghouse for botanical information that can be used for education, research, conservation, or just to satisfy your curiosity. With data organized by plant type and by county, CalFlora’s database includes distribution, habitat, and life-form data for the approximately 8,430 vascular plant taxa known to be native or naturalized in California. Reflecting the local biodiversity, the database helps determine which plants are common, rare, or locally significant. Beginning this summer, CalFlora will build on its history as a collaborative effort by accepting submissions from the public. So next time you find a weed infestation or think you’ve seen a local native species that no one else knows about, report it to CalFlora.