关于PLANTS数据库
美国农业部自然资源保护局（USDA NRCS）运营的PLANTS数据库（Plant List of Attributes, Names, Taxonomy, and Symbols）是美国最权威的植物信息在线查询平台，由国家植物数据中心（NPDC）、信息技术中心（ITC）及国家信息技术中心（NITC）联合开发维护。该数据库是美国农业部最常访问的网站之一，广泛服务于全球的科学家、教育工作者、保护主义者、学生、农民和园艺爱好者。
收录范围
PLANTS数据库收录美国及其领土范围内的维管植物、苔藓、藻类、角苔和地衣的标准化信息，涵盖植物名称、植物符号、清单、分布数据、物种摘要、特征特性、图片、农作物信息、自动化工具、网络链接及参考文献等全方位数据。这些信息主要用于促进美国的土地保护工作，同时也鼓励学术、教育和公众用途。该数据库有效减少了政府开支，避免了各部门间的重复工作，使信息交换得以在机构和学科之间顺畅进行。
主要功能与工具
PLANTS数据库提供多种专业搜索功能，包括按学名搜索（Scientific Name）、常用名搜索（Common Name）、植物符号搜索（Symbol）和科名搜索（Family）。高级搜索工具涵盖特征搜索（Characteristic Search）、生长期搜索（Duration Search）、植物手册/指南搜索（Fact Sheets/Plant Guides）、分组搜索（Group Search）、生长习性搜索（Growth Habit Search）、图片搜索（Image Search）、入侵/有害植物搜索（Invasive/Noxious Search）、稀有度搜索（Rarity Search）、州级搜索（State Search）以及湿地植物搜索（Wetland Search）。此外还提供「找植物」（Find a Plant）功能，方便用户快速查询特定植物的详细信息。
植物名称与符号系统
数据库为每种植物分配唯一的植物符号（Plant Symbol），这是USDA用于标识植物的标准代码系统。用户可以通过植物符号快速检索对应植物的完整信息，包括学名、常用名、分类层级、分布区域、生长特性、生态环境等关键数据。这一标准化系统有效解决了植物名称在不同地区和文献中可能存在的差异问题，帮助用户准确识别植物。
图片库
PLANTS数据库拥有超过50,000张植物图片，是美国植物图片的重要来源之一。图片素材来自多个渠道，包括公众提交的珍贵记录。数据库的图片功能在植物鉴定方面发挥了重要作用，例如一位用户通过图片库成功识别出一株从1900年代初便在家族中传承的植物为蟹爪兰（Rhipsalis）；一位阿拉巴马州的女士借助图片识别了自家院子里一种名为羽针矛草（Piptochaetiumavenaceum）的有害禾草，及时保护了她的宠物狗。
重要资源与专题
除基础植物数据外，PLANTS数据库还提供多项重要专题资源，包括2020年版国家湿地植物清单（National Wetland Plant List, NWPL）、NRCS授粉昆虫信息及相关文献资料、以及涵盖灌木丛生态信息的《灌木丛指南袖珍本》（Pocket Guide to Sagebrush）。此外还收录了波多黎各及美属维尔京群岛常见杂草数据库，为相关地区的植物识别提供便利。
合作机构
PLANTS数据库是USDA NRCS国家植物数据中心（NPDC）、NRCS信息技术中心（ITC）、USDA国家信息技术中心（NITC）以及众多合作伙伴的协作成果。NPDC负责大部分数据和设计工作，ITC和NITC负责Web应用程序的开发和托管，通过USDA服务器集群提供服务。这一跨机构合作模式确保了数据的一致性、权威性和持续更新。
使用方法
用户可直接访问数据库首页，选择相应的搜索类型后输入关键词即可开始查询。网站提供直观的下拉式搜索选项和即时说明指引，新用户也能快速上手。所有数据免费向公众开放，是植物研究、生态保护、农业实践和园艺学习的重要工具。
官方网站：https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov
About the PLANTS Database
The PLANTS Database (Plant List of Attributes, Names, Taxonomy, and Symbols) is operated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It represents a collaborative effort of the National Plant Data Center (NPDC), the Information Technology Center (ITC), and the National Information Technology Center (NITC). As one of USDA’s most frequently visited websites, it serves scientists, educators, conservationists, students, farmers, and horticulture enthusiasts worldwide.
Coverage
The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, crop information, automated tools, web links, and references. This information primarily promotes land conservation in the United States and its territories, while encouraging academic, educational, and general use. The database reduces government spending by minimizing duplication and enabling information exchange across agencies and disciplines.
Features and Tools
The PLANTS Database offers multiple specialized search functions, including search by Scientific Name, Common Name, Symbol, and Family. Advanced search tools cover Characteristic Search, Duration Search, Fact Sheets/Plant Guides, Group Search, Growth Habit Search, Image Search, Invasive/Noxious Search, Rarity Search, State Search, and Wetland Search. The “Find a Plant” feature enables users to quickly query detailed information about specific plants.
Plant Names and Symbol System
The database assigns a unique Plant Symbol to each plant species — the USDA’s standard code system for plant identification. Users can quickly retrieve comprehensive information about a plant using its symbol, including scientific name, common name, taxonomic hierarchy, distribution, growth characteristics, and ecological environment. This standardized system effectively resolves naming discrepancies that may exist across different regions and literature.
Image Gallery
The PLANTS Database hosts over 50,000 plant images, making it one of the most important sources of plant photography in the United States. Image contributions come from multiple sources, including submissions from the general public. The image gallery has proven invaluable for plant identification — one user identified a houseplant passed down in their family since the early 1900s as Rhipsalis, while a woman from Alabama used it to identify a harmful grass species (Piptochaetiumavenaceum) in her yard that was injuring her dog.
Key Resources and Topics
Beyond core plant data, the PLANTS Database offers several important special resources, including the 2020 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL), NRCS pollinator information and related literature, and the Pocket Guide to Sagebrush covering shrubland ecology. It also includes a database of common weeds in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, facilitating plant identification for those regions.
Partner Organizations
The PLANTS Database is a collaborative effort of the USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center (NPDC), the NRCS Information Technology Center (ITC), the USDA National Information Technology Center (NITC), and numerous partner organizations. The NPDC develops most of the data and design, while ITC and NITC program and host the web application through the USDA Web Farm. This cross-agency collaboration ensures data consistency, authority, and continuous updates.
How to Use
Users can visit the database homepage directly, select a search type from the dropdown menu, and enter keywords to begin querying. The website provides intuitive search options with clear instructions, making it accessible even for new users. All data is freely available to the public, making it a valuable tool for plant research, ecological conservation, agricultural practice, and horticultural learning.
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