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 steering committee members:
Walter Berendsohn, Botanisches Museum Berlin, Germany
Laura Brown, JSTOR, USA
David Cantrill, National Herbarium of Victoria, Australia
Estrella Figueiredo, SANBI, South Africa
Laurent Gautier, Botanical Garden of Geneva, Switzerland
Sandy Knapp, The Natural History Museum, United Kingdom
Serena Lee, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore
Chuck Miller, Missouri Botanical Garden, USA
Geoffrey Mwachala, National Museums of Kenya, Kenya
Helga Ochoterena, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico
Jeanine Velez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
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) |
| 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 Museum of Nature and Science (TNS) | Visit (TNS) |
| 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) |
| Oman Botanic Garden | Visit |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) | Visit (IAPT) |
| 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) |
| Kawanda Research Station (KAW) | |
| Makerere University, Botany Department (MHU) | Visit (MHU) |
| Washington State University Herbarium (WS) | Visit (WS) |
| 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 |
| Herbario Centro Regional Patagónico I.N.T.A., E.E.A. Bariloche |
| Herbario Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias Cátedra de Botánica Agrícola Sistemática Universidad Nacional del Comahue |
| National University of Comahue |
| National University of the Northeast |
| Australian National Herbarium |
| Board of the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Adelaide, South Australia |
| GAUBA Herbarium, Australian National University |
| James Cook University |
| John Ray Herbarium, University of Sydney |
| Kings Park and Botanic Garden |
| Macquarie University |
| Monash University, Melbourne |
| Murdoch University |
| N. C. W. Beadle Herbarium, University of New England |
| National Herbarium of New South Wales |
| Northern Territory Herbarium |
| Queensland Herbarium |
| Robert Brown Herbarium, Edith Cowan University |
| Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne |
| Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery |
| La Trobe University, Bundoora |
| University of Melbourne |
| University of New South Wales |
| University of Newcastle, Australia |
| University of Western Australia Herbarium |
| Victoria University, Melbourne |
| Western Australian Herbarium (PERTH) |
| Naturhistorisches Museum Wien Botanische Abteilung |
| University of Graz |
| National Botanic Garden of Belgium |
| Herbario Nacional Forestal Martín Cárdenas |
| Museo Nacional de Bolivia |
| Federal University of Minas Gerais |
| Institute of Botany, Sao Paulo |
| Algoma University |
| Canadian Museum of Nature |
| Concordia University of Edmonton |
| University of Alberta |
| University of British Columbia |
| University of New Brunswick, Fredericton Connell Memorial Herbarium |
| University of Ontario Institute of Technology |
| University of Ottawa |
| University of Quebec, Abitibi-Temiscamingue |
| University of Toronto |
| University of Victoria |
| University of Windsor |
| Catholic University of the North, Chile |
| Herbario de la Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas de la Universidad de Chile |
| National Botanical Garden Jardín Botánico Nacional |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microbiology |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Botanical Garden |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan Botanical Garden |
| Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden |
| Chongqing Technology and Business University |
| Guizhou Minzu (Nationalities) University |
| Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden |
| South China Agricultural University |
| South University of Science and Technology of China |
| Wuhan University |
| Yunnan University |
| Zhejiang University |
| Zhongnan University of Economics and Law |
| Herbario Álvaro Fernández Pérez |
| Herbario ANDES |
| Herbario BOG |
| Herbario Catatumbo Sarare |
| Herbario CAUP |
| Herbario COAH |
| Herbario del Jardín Botánico Guillermo Piñeres |
| Herbario del Jardín Botánico José Celestino Mutis |
| Herbario del Jardín Botánico Juan Maria Cespedes |
| Herbario HUAZ |
| Herbario HUC |
| Herbario HUCO |
| Herbario LLANOS |
| Herbario Luis Sigifredo Espinal-Tascon |
| Herbario SURCO |
| Herbario TOLI |
| Herbario UDBC |
| Herbario UIS |
| Herbario UPTC |
| Instituto Alexander von Humboldt Herbarium |
| Jardín Botánico Eloy Valenzuela |
| Jardín Botánico Joaquín Antonio Uribe |
| National Colombian Herbarium |
| Universidad de Antioquia Herbarium |
| Universidad de los Andes, Colombia |
| Universidad de Nariño Herbario |
| Universidad del Magdalena Herbario |
| Universidad del Quindio Herbario |
| Universidad del Tolima |
| Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) |
| Universidad Nacional de Colombia Herbario |
| Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín Herbario Gabriel Gutierrez V. |
| Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó Herbario |
| University of Caldas |
| Museo Nacional de Costa Rica |
| University of Costa Rica |
| BioEco, Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad |
| Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática National Herbarium of Cuba |
| Jardin Botanico Nacional de Cuba |
| Charles University in Prague Herbarium |
| Jardin Botanico Nacional Dr. Rafael Ma Moscoso |
| Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales |
| Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador |
| Universidad de Azuay Herbario |
| Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam |
| Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja |
| Asociacion Jardin Botanico La Laguna |
| Museo de Historia Natural de El Salvador |
| University of Helsinki |
| National Museum of Natural History |
| Botanical Garden in Berlin |
| Herbarium Senckenbergianum of Senckenberg Forschungsinstitute |
| National Botany Collection Munich |
| University of Bayreuth |
| University of Gottingen |
| University of Hamburg |
| University of Heidelberg Herbarium |
| University of Hohenheim |
| Universidad de San Carlos, Facultad de Biología |
| Universidad del Valle de Guatemala |
| Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Herbarium |
| University of Hong Kong |
| Hungarian Natural History Museum |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute |
| Trinity College Dublin |
| Center for Asian Conservation Ecology |
| Makino Botanical Garden |
| National Museum of Nature and Science |
| American University of Beirut |
| Forest Research Institute Malaysia Herbarium |
| Autonomous University of Yucatan |
| Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S. C. Herbarium |
| Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigacion para el Desarrollo Integral Regional (CIIDIR) |
| College of the Southern Border |
| Geo. B. Hinton Herbarium |
| Institute of Ecology, Mexico |
| Universidad de Guadalajara, Graduate |
| Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) |
| Yucatan Center for Scientific Research Herbarium |
| Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies |
| Naturalis Biodiversity Center Netherlands |
| Wageningen University and Research Centre |
| Auckland War Memorial Museum |
| Christchurch Botanic Gardens |
| Dame Ella Campbell Herbarium, Massey University |
| Dunedin Botanic Garden |
| Forest Research Institute, New Zealand |
| Landcare Research, New Zealand |
| Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa |
| Unitec Institute of Technology |
| University of Auckland |
| University of Otago |
| Victoria University of Wellington |
| Waikato Herbarium, University of Waikato |
| Herbario Nacional de Nicaragua |
| Universidad Centroamericana UCA |
| Universidad Nacional Autonóma de Nicaragua, León |
| UiT – The Arctic University of Norway |
| University of Oslo |
| Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute |
| Universidad de Panama Herbarium |
| Papua New Guinea Forest Research Institute |
| University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez |
| Hallym University |
| National Institute of Biological Resources |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology |
| National University of Singapore NUS Central Library |
| Singapore Botanic Gardens |
| Slovak Academy of Sciences, Herbarium |
| South African National Biodiversity Institute |
| University of Pretoria |
| Botanical Institute of Barcelona Institut Botànic de Barcelona |
| Pablo de Olavide University |
| Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC |
| Spanish National Research Council |
| Stockholm University |
| Swedish Museum of Natural History |
| Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| University of Gothenburg |
| Conservatory & Botanical Garden, Geneva |
| Université de Neuchâtel Herbarium |
| University of Zurich Institute for Systematic Botany and Plant Biology |
| Academia Sinica |
| National Pingtung University |
| Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Council of Agriculture |
| Ankara University |
| Igdir University |
| Karadeniz Technical University |
| Selcuk University |
| Uludag University |
| Yuzuncu Yil University |
| Khalifa University of Science Technology & Research |
| Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi |
| Linnean Society of London |
| Moulton College |
| National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens |
| Natural History Museum, London |
| Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh |
| Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |
| Royal Horticultural Society |
| Sparsholt College |
| University of Cambridge |
| University of Kent |
| University of Oxford |
| University of Portsmouth |
| University of Reading |
| Alderson-Broaddus College |
| Amherst College |
| Arizona State University, Tempe |
| Arkansas State University, Jonesboro |
| Botanical Research Institute of Texas |
| Bowdoin College |
| Brigham Young University |
| Bucknell University |
| California Academy of Sciences |
| Campbellsville University |
| Catalina Island Conservancy |
| Chicago Botanic Garden |
| Christopher Newport University |
| Clemson University |
| Colby College |
| College of DuPage |
| College of Idaho |
| College of William & Mary |
| 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 of Natural History |
| Flora of North America |
| Governors State University |
| Harvard University |
| Iowa State University |
| James Madison University |
| Kennesaw State University |
| Kenyon College |
| Kettering University |
| Longwood Gardens Inc |
| Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Herbarium and Mycology Herbarium |
| Marie Selby Botanical Gardens |
| Miami University, Oxford |
| Michigan State University |
| Middle Tennessee State University |
| Middlebury College |
| Missouri Botanical Garden |
| Morton Arboretum |
| Le Moyne College |
| Museum of Indian Arts & Culture |
| Museum of International Folk Art |
| National Hispanic Cultural Center |
| New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum |
| New Mexico Historic Sites |
| New Mexico History Museum, Palace of the Governors |
| 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 Arizona University Herbarium |
| Northern Virginia Community College |
| Oak Spring Garden Library |
| Oberlin College |
| Ohio State University, Columbus |
| Oklahoma State University, Stillwater |
| Old Dominion University |
| Pennsylvania State University, University Park |
| Presbyterian College |
| Prescott College |
| Princeton University |
| Purdue University, West Lafayette |
| Reed College |
| Sam Houston State University |
| San Diego Natural History Museum |
| The School for Field Studies |
| Smith College |
| The Smithsonian Institution |
| South Central College |
| St. John's University |
| Sweet Briar College |
| Syracuse University |
| Texas A&M International University |
| Texas A&M University, San Antonio |
| Texas State University, San Marcos |
| Thomas Jefferson Foundation |
| Truman State University |
| Tufts University |
| Tulane 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 Stillinger Herbarium |
| University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
| University of Kansas |
| University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| University of Miami |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| University of Nebraska, Lincoln |
| University of Notre Dame |
| University of Oregon |
| University of Texas, Austin |
| University of Vermont |
| University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| 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 |
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