Interactive key to the flowering plants of the Neotropics
Background
Although a number of local and national floristic accounts provide keys to Neotropical plant families, there is currently no multi-language key available for the region as a whole. Many of the keys that do exist are heavily dependent on fruiting and flowering characteristics and are not always easy to follow or use, particularly by those unfamiliar with botanical terms. Recent developments in software for computer-based, multi-access keys offer an exciting opportunity to address this issue, facilitating online access, progressive development and refinement (reflecting ongoing taxonomic and phylogenetic advances), and the easy inclusion of visual aids in the identification process. The most recent broad-scale taxonomic account of the flowering plants of the Neotropics (Smith et al., 2004) provides a sound and valuable knowledge base for the development of such a resource. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, building on the experience of its Interactive Key to Malesian Seed Plants (produced in collaboration with the National Herbarium Nederland Leiden), is now working to develop NEOTROPIKEY, an interactive key to the plants of the Neotropics.
The Key
NEOTROPIKEY, developed with LUCID 3 software, will be made available online (at no charge) via Kew 's website and CD. Plant families included in the key will be linked to a series of dedicated, web-based information resources (produced with Factsheet Fusion software) including descriptions and synopses, images, glossaries etc. Principal characters employed in the identification process will include floral and fruit morphology as well as a wide range of vegetative characteristics. Wherever possible images will be available to aid the identification process. The website will provide links to relevant online information resources and collaborating organisations. Families for inclusion have been selected on the basis of a review of key resources including Flowering Plants of the Neotropics (Smith et al., 2004) the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (1998) and Judd et al. (2002), cross-checked with the Vascular Plant Families and Genera Database. Naturalised and cultivated plants are included.
- For examples of other keys developed with LUCID software, click here.
Development of the key
Development of the key, whilst co-ordinated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a collaborative process bringing together the expertise and experience of specialists from around the world. All participants and sources will be fully acknowledged, both collectively and individually as the authors of specific associated resources (e.g. family treatments).
| Procedure |
Progress |
| Selection of families for inclusion |
Complete |
| Development of core characters and character states |
Complete |
| Identification of specialists and other collaborators |
Ongoing |
| Consultation on core characters |
Complete |
| Character coding for families (in-house and consultative) |
Ongoing |
| Development of family synopses and image resources (in-house and consultative) |
Ongoing |
| Testing (online) |
|
| Production |
|
Taking part
Development of NEOTROPIKEY is a long-term project and we welcome contributions of specialist and generalist expertise alike, images and relevant information resources. If you would like to participate in this project please do not hesitate to email to us at:
neotropikey@kew.org
References
Judd, J., Campbell, W.S., Kellogg, C.S., Stevens, P.F., Kellogg, E.A. & Donoghue, M.J. (2002). Plant Systematics - A Phylogenetic Approach. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA.
Smith, N., Mori, S.A., Henderson, A., Stevenson, D.W. & Heald, S.V. (eds) (2004). Flowering plants of the Neotropics. Princeton University Press, Princeton. |
