November 12, 1999

A Web Site Catalogues the New York Botanical Garden's Vascular Plants

By BIANCA P. FLOYD

Researchers throughout the world can use an on-line catalogue of more than 67,000 vascular-plant type specimens that are housed at the New York Botanical Garden.

Vascular plants are those, such as ferns, seed-bearing plants, and conifers, that have a system of vessels for circulating water and food. A "type" is a specimen selected to serve as a reference point when a newly discovered plant is named.

The botanical garden's herbarium, in which the specimens are stored, is the