The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.

Plant of the Week

Slender little bluestem Schizachyrium tenerum Nees Click on the photo for a full plant profile.

Spotlights

Cover Crops Cover crops are a diverse group of plants that can be used on farmland for soil protection and health. We now offer a sortable list, linking to profile pages, of over 70 species used for cover crops in North America.

Gymnosperms updated Scientific names of all the gymnosperms in PLANTS are now updated to match the latest research. Oregon State University and the National Plant Data Team reviewed almost 700 names in this important group of plants.

PLANTS recommended as a GIS standard. A recently published article has recommended using the PLANTS database as a standard to make GIS forestry databases more mutually compatible. Clark, T. 2011. Standardizing species codes using the NRCS PLANTS database. The Forestry Source 16: 14--16.

New state maps We now provide larger, detailed maps for each of the 50 U.S. states, with county names indicated. Our standard state maps remain the same, but if you click on them a much more detailed map will appear in a new tab or window.

Using Farm Bill Programs for Pollinator Conservation (PDF; 278KB) Technical Note TN.190.B.78 - Using Farm Bill Programs for Pollinator Conservation is now available. Learn about Farm Bill programs and associated conservation practices that can increase pollinator populations for healthier and more profitable agro-ecosystems.

Last Modified: 04/02/2012