IISc database of plants

Nature enthusiasts have a reason to cheer. They now have free access to peer-reviewed information on over 10,000 species of plants from peninsular India, thanks to the Digital Flora of Peninsular India, a website developed by IISc’s Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES).The online database draws on the information available in the herbarium -  a collection of dried, pressed plant specimens and their associated data -  housed at CES.  The online database contains comprehensive information about each plant species - its vernacular name, taxonomic description, habitat, geographic distribution, flowering time, conservation status and more. The data has been prepared after extensive ecological surveys.  It also features photographs taken from the team’s field trips as well as scanned images of the herbarium specimens. The availability of the database is expected to address issues related to conservation of both plant species as well as habitats.