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About Observation Datasets

The Calflora Observation Database is an aggregation of plant observations from numerous sources and data-sets. This page describes the meta-data of the observation data-sets in the Calflora Observation Database. Data ownership is retained by each data contributor.

Please send all updates and corrections of observation data directly to the respective data owner with a carbon copy to CONTACT . Changes will be reflected in the Calflora Observation Database when the data contributor sends Calflora a updated copy of their data. If you would like to help support the development of an annotation system for occurrence data that will support immediate corrections, please visit our donations form.

 

Botanical Literature Summary of Reported Ranges

    Data Synopsis
    This dataset began as Data transcribed from Munz' A California Flora and Supplement (1968) by Kwei-Lin Lum as part of her thesis work with Peter J.Richerson at U.C. Davis. (Lum 1975 , Richerson and Lum 1980 ). In compiling species summaries, Calflora translated the abbreviated names and coded data of the Lum/Walker/Munz68 database. Calflora then used data from the CNPS Inventory to update distribution and habitat data for 893 species in the Lum/Walker/Munz68 database and to add records for 849 taxa not already included in that database (that is, infraspecific and new taxa).

    The data was subsequently expanded to include all infraspecific taxa recognized as occurring in California and updated to reflect current nomenclatural usage. Adjustments to distributions for taxa affected by changes in taxonomic delineation (lumps and splits) were made using information from the Jepson Manual (Hickman 1993) to modify existing records. Literature-based distribution data for taxa not previously included in Calflora (mostly infraspecific taxa that are not rare) represent Calflora's interpretation of distribution descriptions in the Jepson Manual.

    ID: lit_summary

    Date first included:
    This data formed the basis of Calflora distributions in the Calflora taxon table from Calflora's inception contained in the fields 'regioncode' and 'region_list'. This coexisted separately from Calflora Observation Database information until subsumed into Calflora Occ.
    Translated into Calflora Observation Database format and included therein on 19 February 2001.
    Calflora taxon table 'regioncode' and 'region_list' will shortly be redefined to contain a summary of information from the Calflora Observation database (not just Lum/Walker/Munz) in a similar format to the previous data.

    Last Update: 19 February 2001

    Total Present Record Count:
        132,661 records.
       598,847 additional records are held in reserve (not included at this time) for county 'absence' data and records modified with CNPS 5th Edition information. Details are recorded in field-by-field notes.

    Updates? No.  This dataset represents the distribution knowledge of California plants known at a particular point in time. It will serve as a historical reference in the future.
    Corrections to erroneous data will remain difficult until Calflora has the resources to develop an Annotation system for occurrence data.

    Sampling methods:
    Error characteristics of the occurrence-based distribution data are unknown. Users should make their own decisions on the reliability of data of different types and from different sources. Documentation and source contact information are provided for each occurrence observation.

    For literature-based distribution data, is important to note that the type and rate of errors in geographic distribution are very different for the three major literature sources. Lum was transcribing generalized and sometimes vague range descriptions into concrete presence/absence data for specific county and subcounty regions. For most species, data were not verified with any other source of information and, in addition to coding errors, represent only a best estimate of the range of the species in question. Lum(Lum 1975) showed that while her data are far from error-free, errors of assigning taxa to regions where they do not occur are about equal in number to errors of not assigning taxa to regions where they actually do occur. Consequently, her data produce unbiased and quite accurate estimates of species numbers but somewhat inaccurate species lists for given regions. Regions used to describe plant distributions in The Jepson Manual span multiple counties. Consequently interpretation of Jepson Manual descriptions in terms of presence and absence in particular counties and subcounties is indefinite. All distribution records based on Jepson Manual data are marked in the auth_collector field.

    For species level taxa, the composite literature-based distribution summaries presented in Calflora can be expected to have error characteristics much like those Lum described. It can be expected to perform well for analyzing broad patterns and general relationships, as demonstrated by both Lum and Walker. It clearly performs less well in generating accurate species lists for particular locations, but not so badly that it is not useful for producing preliminary checklists for a variety of applications. For infraspecific taxa, the composite literature-based distribution summaries combine data that tend to underestimate range (CNPS) with data that overestimate range (Jepson Manual). Error characteristics of the combined data are unknown.


    Conversion Notes:
    Details are recorded in field-by-field notes.
    Original Data was stored in Calflora taxon table as a single field concatenation of presence/absence codes mapped by position to subcounty regions (i.e."Abies bracteata" regioncode "F1F1FF..." might be "Alameda county =F(absent), Alpine county = 1 (probably present), ...") This information was based on several sources, the base layer being Munz' A California Flora,subsequently modified by other sources.

    The region code was decompiled to individual species-county occurrences for inclusion here. See more detailed notes on this process in 'field-by-field notes'.

    Nomenclature::
    Adjustments to distributions for taxa affected by changes in taxonomic delineation (lumps and splits) were made using information from the Jepson Manual (Hickman 1993) to modify existing records. This required interpretation of taxonomic delineations in some instances by Calflora staff. Ann Dennis was primarily responsible for the modifications of data subsequent to it's inclusion in the Calflora database.

    Identification Notes: not applicable

    Contact: Calflora staff can assist with the interpretations of the data modification through time, but the composite dataset reflects a synthesis of information from the sources listed in the 'auth_collector' field. Please consult these references for full descriptive documentation.

Bureau of Land Management Eagle Lake Field Office Herbarium

    Data Synopsis:
      This data originates as label data from the herbarium of the Eagle Lake Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (SUS). The primary purpose of the collection is to document plant species occurrence and distribution across the Eagle Lake, Surprise Valley, and Alturas Field Office Areas (formerly the Susanville District of the BLM). Most of the specimens are from BLM lands in northeastern California and northwestern Nevada, but some collections are from surrounding area as well. Most of these specimens date from 1978 and 2000, and most were collected by Gary Schoolcraft, who retired in July 2000. The database from which these records are derived is maintained by the Eagle Lake Field Office, but is not currently available elsewhere. Duplicates of some specimens were distributed to other herbaria, so some of the collections recorded here may also appear in other herbarium datasets.

    ID: eaglelakeherb

    Date included: 5 February 2002

    Total Record Count: 2,848

    Updates? Periodic updates are expected, the herbarium collection is growing and the label database is actively maintained.

    Transcription Notes
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.

    Identification Notes
    All records are based on herbarium specimens. Most were identified by Gary Schoolcraft (high reliability); and quite a few have also been annotated by researchers from other herbaria.

    Location Notes
    Location data generally given to the township, range, and section, plus a general description of location, county, state, and elevation.

    Date Notes
    Most records have exact day of collection.

    Nomenclature Notes
    Most names reflect nomenclature of the collection time (i.e. Munz, Intermountain Flora, or Jepson Manual). Names have generally not translated from the original observer's usage.

    Sampling Methods
    Collections were done in the course of a general inventory of BLM lands, and as the opportunity arose. Generally, no attempt was made to collect multiple specimens of a species across the district, but to represent the majority of the species found in the area. We have classed these as incidental observations.

    Contact Information
    Beth Corbin, Botanist,
    Eagle Lake Field Office
    Bureau of Land Management
    2950 Riverside Drive
    Susanville, CA 96130
    (530) 252-5305.

California Dept. of Food & Agriculture Herbarium

    Data Synopsis:
      Records represent weeds of California that have been vouchered in the herbarium at the California Department of Food & Agriculture.  Specimens were collected mostly by CDA employees, and are theoretically available for examination.
    ID: weeds
    Date included: 1997
    Total Record Count: 6,907
    Updates?
    Conversion Notes 
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
    Identification Notes
    Nomenclature
    Sampling methods
    Contact
    Please contact the staff at Calflora with your specific request before contacting data owner:
     Fred Hrusa
    California Dept. of Food & Agriculture

     

California Dept. of Fish and Game: California Natural Diversity Database

    Data Synopsis:
      The California Natural Diversity Data Base (CNDDB), part of the nationwide Natural Heritage Network, is a computerized inventory of information on the location and condition of California's rare, threatened, and sensitive plants, animals, and natural communities. This information is available from the Department of Fish and Game in the form of computer-generated reports and overlays. 

      The CNDDB has many more observation records for rare species than appear on Calflora. What appears on Calflora is a subset of the complete CNDDB collection, intended to indicate the distribution of rare plant species at the quad or county level. Researchers interested in this data are urged to obtain the data from CNDDB directly rather than to rely on this subset.

    ID: cnddb
    Date first included: 1998
    Last Updated: February 2006
    Total Record Count: 50,978
    Conversion Notes
    Georeference information held by the CNDDB is deliberately not presented on Calflora. Instead, Calflora presents only the county and quad of each data point. For mapping purposes, Calflora displays each CNDDB data point at the center of its associated quad. Please contact CA-DFG CNDDB directly for more detailed data on particular records.
    Nomenclature
    Scientific names mostly match current Calflora names.
    Sampling methods
    The data sources for CNDDB data are comprised of one or more of the following: herbarium specimens, published literature sources with location data, field survey data submitted to the CNDDB, and data from unpublished "gray" literature such as contracted reports. CNDDB data is all georeferenced and much of it is verified and quality controlled. The data concerning a particular taxon is not necessarily exhaustive, but rather represents what was available to the CNDDB (and what CNDDB made available to Calflora) at the last update.

California Native Plant Society
Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California

    Dataset Synopsis:
      The CNPS Inventory represents information assembled by staff and members of the California Native Plant Society in an effort dating back to 1968. History and methods are described in detail on the CNPS website www.cnps.org. The Inventory presents a continuously updated summary of distribution and habitat information on file for plant taxa considered by CNPS to be rare and endangered in California, along with CNPS's evaluation of the conservation status of each taxon. The county-level occurrence summaries from the online version of the CNPS Inventory database have been transcribed here. Rarity and habitat information from the Inventory are included in Calflora species accounts. The full online version of the CNPS Inventory is available online via the CNPS website. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California (CNPS 2001) is also available in print.

    ID: cnps

    Date included: 1998

    Last Updated: December 2005

    Total Record Count: 6106 records

      The original dataset contains 2073 taxon records, each containing a concatenated county distribution list. We decomposed these lists into individual county occurrence observations.

    Transcription Notes

      Only California county occurrences are included here. Original dataset also includes information on presence in adjacent states of the U.S. and Mexico.

      All California county data have been included. Symbols indicating uncertainty about presence and status of populations in particular counties have been transcribed and placed in the 'note' field.

      Channel Island occurrences are recorded for the county of which the island is part, with the island name transcribed to the 'location note' field'.

      Original data not included here include assessments of rarity and endangerment, legal status, habitat and elevation range, and other information for each taxon.

    Identification Notes

      This dataset represents CNPS's interpretation of original data from many sources, including herbarium specimens, literature reports, and vouchered and unvouchered field observations submitted by the general public. Observers range from amateur to professional. Records in this dataset are classified as 'secondary source' data type and 'literature' documentation level.

    Location Notes

      Location data are in the form of county or island name for channel island occurrences. Original dataset contains quad-level occurrence data for some taxa, as well as presence in adjacent states.

    Date Notes

      This dataset represents a summary of all observations, current and historic, that have been evaluated by CNPS. The original dataset does not include dates for the observations substantiating presence in particular counties.

    Nomenclature Notes

      Nomenclature is updated continuously and is classed as 'post-Jepson93'.

    Sampling Methods

      This dataset summarizes observations that have been submitted by the public or have otherwise come to the attention of CNPS.

    Contact Information

      Questions and corrections on CNPS Inventory data content should be directed to:
        Misa Ward
        California Native Plant Society
        2707 K Street, Suite 1 .
        Sacramento, CA 95816-5113
        (916) 324-3816

    California Vegetation Type Map

      Data Synopsis:
        Records from the original California Vegetation type map compiled in the 1930's.
      ID: vtm
      Date included: April 29, 1998
      Total Record Count: 24,763

      Updates? unknown at this time
      Conversion Notes
      Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
      Dataset came without unique record identifiers, Calflora assigned new ones.
      Identification Notes
      Nomenclature Mostly the original Jepson Flora or earlier.
      Sampling methods unknown at this time
      Contact:
      Dr. Barbara Allen-Diaz 
      Associate Professor
      Environmental Sciences
      Division of Environmental Science, Policy & Management
      327 Mulford Hall
      University of California
      Berkeley, CA       94720-3110

    Cooperative Yellow Starthistle Mapping Project

      Data Synopsis:
        Database records for occurrence of yellow starthistle on the state highway system in the Sierra Nevada. Many organizations, including California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), US Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, California Native Plant Society, County Agricultural Commissioners and others, contributed inventory data to map the extent of yellow starthistle in the Sierra Nevada. Data included here were collected in 1999 and 2000. These data are assembled, transcribed, and maintained by the California Department of Food and Agriculture as part of the ongoing Sierra Nevada Cooperative Yellow Starthistle Mapping and Assessment Project.
      ID: ystmap
      Date included: October 31, 2001
      Total Record Count: 9864
      Updates? periodic revisions are expected.
      Transcription Notes
      Additional metadata are available on the individual datasets that were compiled by CDFA to form this composite dataset. Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
      Identification Notes
      No collections were made. These are primarily reports from trained observers working under the direction of professional botanists, but individual observations are unconfirmed and classified here as 'report'.
      Location Notes
      Location data were provided to Calflora in the form of points in decimal degrees. In most cases, these are centroids calculated from polygon data stored by CDFA as ArcView shapefiles.
      Date Notes
      Most observations include exact dates.
      Nomenclature Notes
      All data pertain to Centaurea solstitialis L.
      Sampling Methods
      CDFA provided metadata on the original data files they combined to form this dataset. The file ID is the 'collection' within the composite dataset. Data files are classed as one of two sampling types and provide the basis for assignment of sampling method to individual observations. The two types of sampling methods are:
      • Detection=observation of YST occurrence not associated with search or survey. These are classified as observation type 'undirected search'.
      • Survey = positive occurrences noted during a survey of a particular area or roadway for yellow starthistle. These are classified as observation type 'directed search'.
      In the few cases where survey type field was blank, observations were classed as 'survey' based on contributors general description of the dataset. Negative occurrence data (records of areas surveyed where yellow starthistle was found to be absent) were also provided but are not included in this Calflora transcription.
      Contact
      Rosie Yacoub
      Sierra Nevada Cooperative Yellow Starthistle Mapping and Assessment Project,
      California Department of Food and Agriculture,
      Sacramento, CA
      916 654-0768

Dean W. Taylor Herbarium Specimens

    Data Synopsis:
      Specimens collected throughout the carrier of Dean W. Taylor throughout many regions of the state. Collections are especially strong in rare & endangered taxa, disjunct populations, and new discoveries. Some duplicate collections have been filed with the University and Jepson Herbaria at UC Berkeley.
    ID: wdt
    Date included: May 14, 1999
    Last Update: February, 2008
    Total Record Count: 11,437
    Updates?
    additions, refinements and additional records expected periodically.
    Conversion Notes
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
    Some collection numbers were duplicated or s.n., Calflora assigned unique identification numbers to each record. Records without known Californian counties were not included. Many records are georeferenced.
    Identification Notes
    All identifications are by Dean W. Taylor, and sometimes additional experts.
    Nomenclature
    Jepson Manual or later, Dean Taylor reserves the right to recognize other taxonomic entities.
    Contact:
    Dean W. Taylor

Eldorado National Forest, Aspen Delineation Project

    Data Synopsis:
      These data are from a survey of quaking aspen stands in the Eldorado National Forest. Records included here were collected in 1999 and 2000, and provide information on location, habitat, stand size, age composition, and presence of conifers within the stand. These data are assembled, transcribed, and maintained by the Eldorado National Forest, US Department of Agriculture as part of an ongoing Aspen Delineation Project.

    ID: aspen

    Date included: 22 February 2002

    Total Record Count: 229

    Updates? Periodic revisions are expected.

    Transcription Notes
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.

    Identification Notes
    No collection vouchers were made. These are primarily reports from trained observers working under the direction of US Forest Service District Biologists but individual observations are unconfirmed and classified here as 'report'.

    Location Notes
    Location data were provided to keep Calflora on line the form of UTM Zone 10 coordinates obtained from GPS readings. UTM locations recorded in 1999 have a precision of approx. 200 feet (61 m). UTM stand recordings in 2000 have a precision of <100 feet (30.5m). (Location precision 1999: 1.2ha, 2000: 0.3 ha)

    Date Notes
    Observations include year data was collected. Stands were sampled in summer months, recorded here as 'August'

    Nomenclature Notes
    All data pertain to Populus tremuloides Michx., a name current in the Jepson Manual (1993).

    Sampling Methods
    These data are classified as 'directed search' because they are the product of searches for stands of this particular species. The objective of the ongoing Aspen Delineation Project is to produce a full inventory of aspen stands within the study area. Various methods are used to locate aspen stands. Field observers visit each site, and are instructed to obtain at least one UTM reading from a GPS recorder for each stand observed. Stands are delineated as separate stands if there is a separation of at least 150 feet between aspen stems. Only one UTM reading for each stand is included in this dataset.

    Contact Information
    David Burton
    Aspen Delineation Project
    Eldorado National Forest
    (916)663-2574.

G.F. Hrusa checklists

    Data Synopsis:
      This dataset is a collection of checklists from various authors, transcribed by Fred Hrusa as an ongoing project. The collection currently includes checklists for 126 locations around the state, with dates ranging from 1927 to 2005. As well as transcribing species lists and location information, Hrusa has evaluated documentation level and ID reliability, as well as brought older scientific names into a current nomenclatural usage. The individual checklists exist in hard copy form at various locations.
    ID: hrusa
    Date first included: 1997
    Last Updated: February, 2006
    Total Record Count: 28,541
    Identification Notes
    Hrusa evaluated authorship, methods, and existence of vouchers to classify levels of ID reliability. Observations he classed as 'highly reliable' are classed here as 'documented', and are generally vouchered observations from highly expert observers. All other observations are classed here as 'reported'. Authors of checklists are cited in the 'auth_collector' field, along with publication years and voucher locations, if available.
    Location Notes
    Locations are described by latitude and longitude of the center of the checklist area. Original values are in minutes and seconds. Location precision is based on Hrusa's estimate. Where available, Hrusa included area surveyed for the checklist, transcribed here in the 'plotsize' field.
    Date Notes
    Checklists span the period 1927 to 2005. Values of 'Field Years' from the original data were used to assign date precision values. Actual date precision is generally exact year. Checklists accumulated over several years are classed as '+-5 years' reflecting uncertainty of the year in which a particular plant was observed, not uncertainty about the dates of observation.
    Nomenclature
    Jepson Manual or later, older nomenclature in original data has been updated by Fred Hrusa
    Sampling Methods
    Checklists spanning multiple field years were classed as 'cummulative arealist', checklists from a single field year were classed as 'onetime arealist', with individual observations from the lists labeled accordingly.
    Contact Information
    The dataset owner requests that users address questions to the staff at Calflora rather than contacting him directly.
    Fred Hrusa
    California Department of Food and Agriculture

Presidio Vascular Plant Occurrence Database

    Data Synopsis:
      This database compiles observation data on vascular plants occurring within the Presidio of San Francisco from field surveys, published and unpublished lists, and herbarium specimen records. It is maintained by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to serve as a documented checklist and repository for monitoring data. Only those records of original field observations by staff and volunteers of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy from January 2000 onwards have been included in Calflora, 4841 of the total 13,038 records in the database. Although the database as a whole houses checklist and specimen citations from the early 1800's onward, almost all the original field observations date from the period 1994 to 2003. Most of these observations were made as part of a survey effort directed by staff botanists. The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy maintains the Presidio Vascular Plant Occurrence Database as an integrated data entry and reporting tool available in-house to staff and volunteers.
    ID: GGNRA
    Date included: April, 2004
    Total Record Count: 4,841
    Updates?
    periodic additions expected
    Identification Notes
    Although the database includes specimen data, the observations included in this dataset do not refer to specific vouchers and are classified as 'reported'. Plant identifications were made by professional botanists or amateurs expert in the local flora.
    Location Notes
    Dataset contains location references to watersheds, subwatersheds and sites available as GIS coverages. Only the field 'FloraZone' was included in the Calflora 'location description' field. UTM coordinates in the 'original location' field are the centroid of that FloraZone polygon, not the precise location of the plant within that polygon. The Calflora 'location precision' field value was set at 100 hectares, reflecting the generalized nature of the location data presented here. More precise locations may be available from the data owner on request.
    Date Notes
    Records included in Calflora are from the period 2000 through 2003, and most contain the exact day of observation. The complete database contains records from 1816 onward.
    Nomenclature Notes
    Nomenclature follows the Jepson Manual (Hickman 1993).
    Sampling Methods
    Most observations were made in the course of an organized sampling effort directed at documenting flora of particular sites and plant communities within the Presidio, documenting distribution and abundance of individual species, and compiling a complete vascular plant checklist. 55 observations of native species labeled as planted have been dropped from the dataset included in Calflora, however additional unlabeled records for planted occurrences of native and non-native species may remain.
    Contact Information
    Emily Magnaghi
    c/o Nurseries
    Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
    Building 201, Fort Mason
    San Francisco CA 94123
    Emagnghi@parksconservancy.org

Harvard University Herbaria Type Specimen Data

    Data Synopsis:
    Specimens in the type collection database at the Harvard University Herbaria. Includes all type specimens from Harvard University Herbaria, Arnold Arboretum, Farlow Herbarium, and Economic Herbarium of Oakes Ames.
    ID: huh_types
    Date included: October 12, 1999
    Total Record Count: 3209
    Updates?
    yes, periodic at HUH discretion. Several Families of plant types have yet to be databased but will be included when they are completed.
    Conversion Notes
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
    Basionym names are included in the Calflora Occ field "namesoup" as well as "orig_name".
    Identification Notes
    Nomenclature
    Various nomenclatures used, presumably the most current at the time of specimen examination
    Sampling methods
    Contact
    David E. Boufford,
    Harvard University Herbaria

Illinois Natural History Survey Herbarium Specimens

    Data Synopsis:
    Specimens collected of numerous years by various collectors now residing in the Illinois Natural History Survey Herbarium.
    ID: inhs
    Date included: 2 November 1999
    Total Record Count: 1136
    Updates?
    yes, infrequent as the California specimens are not an active growth area for the Herbarium.

    Conversion Notes
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
  • Cultivar field is blank for all Californian records.
  • 4 records were deleted from original data since they were erroneous duplicates. (see bottom for email from INHS)
  • 35 of the records are actually from Baja California. These were deleted from ingested data, leaving 1136 records.
  • Infraspecific ranks in the form of "ssp." and "var." and one "forma".
    • Identification Notes
    Collectors and collection numbers cited in 'auth_collector' field when available.
    Nomenclature
    Presumably based on date that the specimen was collected or most recently annotated.
    Sampling methods
    Varied based on collector.  Most are either general collections of an area, or directed expeditions in search of specific taxa.
    Contact:
    Kenneth R. Robertson
    Plant Systematist, Center for Biodiversity
    Illinois Natural History Survey Herbarium
    607 E. Peabody Drive
    Champaign, IL 61820 USA
    217 244-2171 (voice); 217 333-4949 (Fax)

The Nature Conservancy

    Data Synopsis:
      Cumulative checklist compiled over years of observations for plants reported to occur in individual Nature Conservancy lands.  Some checklists were compiled by professional consultant botanists, others by volunteers or amateur botanists.
    ID: tnc
    Date included: 1997
    Total Record Count: 4,476

    Updates? unknown.
    Conversion Notes 
      Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
      Dataset came without unique record identifiers, Calflora assigned new ones.
      Data compiled from individual TNC land units and published separately.  Land unit publication specified in 'collctn' field when available.
      Dataset came with matching table of TNC land units containing location information L/L DMS, TRS, county, etc.
      About one quarter of observation dates are missing.
    Identification Notes
    Collector Name and collection number located in 'auth_collector' field if available.
    Nomenclature
    Various nomenclatures used, depending on date, location and observer.
    Sampling methods
    Unknown.  Presumed a cumulative checklist of plants for TNC unit compiled over time.
    Contact
    The Nature Conservancy
    California Regional Office
    201 Mission Street
    4th Floor
    San Francisco, CA 94105
    (415) 777-0487

Observations Contributed Online

    Data Synopsis:
      Individual Observations of plants contributed by individuals through the Calflora website. Observers span the range of professional biologists to school aged children. Observers are self-catagorized into the following groups:
      • Professional Biologists: Those having a background or training in botany, recognized as peers by professional botanists.
      • Expert Botanists: Those without professional-level knowledge, but experienced in the use of keys and descriptions, and/or have expertise with the plants submitted.
      • Other Observers: Those without professional-level knowledge, but able to make plant identifications, subdivided by age range:
        • Adult Observers 18 & over
        • Teen Observers 13 - 18
        • Child Observers under 13.

    Dataset IDs: Professional Biologist, Expert Botanist, Adult Observer, Teen Observer, Child Observer.

    Date included: System design early 2002, Public release August 1, 2002. Public re-release June, 2005. Individual addition dates included in record.

    Updates? Expected for individual records when update feature is released. All updates should be sent to the original observer and then to Calflora until then.

    Conversion Notes: Data gathered from the upload form is converted, where appropriate, to standardized units. In almost all cases the original data is preserved unaltered in the record metadata.

    Identification Notes: Identifications are performed by the individual observer. Identifications are not reviewed for accuracy before inclusion in the Calflora library.

    Nomenclature: Plant names are requested to reflect names in current useage, but older names that are now considered synonyms are not prohibited.

    Sampling Methods: Most observations are incidental and not a part of a sampling design.

    Contact: Contact information for contributors is kept private to minimize spam. To get in touch with a particular contributor, please write email to Calflora.

San Jose State University Herbarium Specimens

    Data Synopsis:
      Records represent Californian specimens located in the Carl Sharsmith Herbarium at San Jose State University.  Specimens were collected by a broad range of collectors, from novice through professional, and are available for examination at SJSU. Specimen data are also searchable directly from the Sharsmith Herbarium website.
    ID: sjherb
    Date included: 1998
    Last Update: February, 2006
    Total Record Count: 9,536
    Updates?
    Updates expected every few years as the Herbarium's collection grows.
    Identification Notes
    Data contains many plants that were collected from cultivation and that should not be in Calflora.  Collectors and collection numbers cited in 'auth_collector' field when available.
    Nomenclature
    Based on date that the specimen was collected or annotated.
    Sampling methods
    Varied based on collector.  Most are either general collections of an area, or directed expeditions in search of specific taxa.
    Contact:
    Toni Corelli   ( corelli@coastside.net ) at the
    Carl W. Sharsmith Herbarium
    San Jose State University
    One Washington Square
    San Jose, California 95192-0100
    (650) 726-0689

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Herbarium Specimens

    Data Synopsis:
      Records represent Californian specimens located in the herbarium at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.  Specimens were collected by a broad range of collectors, from novice through professional, and are theoretically available for examination.
    ID: sbbg
    Date included: 12 January 1998
    Last Update: 15 February 2002
    Total Record Count: 25,877
    Updates? Yes, as data is processed at SBBG
    Conversion Notes:
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
    Herbarium accession numbers stored in source_id field.
    Names derived from PLANTS codes supplied by SBBG & PLANTS.
    orig_location field filled with lat/long if available, if not, then County Name.
    Identification Notes:
    Generally high degree of reliability.  Collector Name and collection number located in 'auth_collector' field if available in the format: "primary collector collection number[, secondary collector(s)]".
    Nomenclature:
    Taxonomic name usage generally follows The Jepson Manual but names are updated using peer-reviewed scientific literature.
    Sampling methods:
    Collections made by various people over time, deposited at SBBG.
    Contact:
    Questions about particular Specimens:
    Steve Junak, Curator
    (805) 682-4726 ext. 105
    Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
    1212 Mission Canyon Road
    Santa Barbara, California 93105

    Questions about the SBBG Database:

    Dieter Wilken, Director of Research
    (805) 682-4726 ext. 124
    Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
    1212 Mission Canyon Road
    Santa Barbara, California 93105

Ca Consortium of Herbaria

    Data Synopsis:
      At the current time, Calflora has no agreement with the Consortium concerning the exchange of data. The current summary data is offered simply as a convenience to link to Consortium specimen records.

      This dataset constitutes a summary of species occurrence by county as represented by specimens held by various member herbaria. In the Calflora system, this dataset serves as a means of including herbarium specimen data from this source in query results, and generating automated queries to the current online presentation of full specimen records . Each record represents one or more specimens on file under a particular plant name for a particular county. Although the lack of integration with other Calflora occurrence data is a drawback, Calflora continues to serve this dataset because of the distribution information it contains.

    ID: cch
    Date first included: September 2007
    Total Record Count: 108,553
    Updates? This current summary was prepared from a file generated by the Consoritum for Calflora which lists counties for each taxon.
    Identification Notes
    A high proportion of the specimen identifications have been reviewed by experts. Specimens may be available for examination by data users.
    Location Notes
    Locations included in Calflora are counties. Additional location information is available for most individual records on the Consortium website.

    Although the vast majority of the collection is of plants that were growing without cultivation, some specimens are from botanical gardens and other cultivated sources. In these cases, locations indicated do not necessarily indicate places where the species occurs in the wild.

    Nomenclature
    Nomenclature generally follows current opinion documented in the Jepson Flora Project Index to California Plant Names.
    Contact
    Richard L. Moe, Manager of Collections Data

University and Jepson Herbaria

    Data Synopsis:
      For several years, Calflora served a copy of the SMASCH specimen database. In early 2004, the directory of the Herbaria requested that Calflora stop serving this data. Calflora volunteers generated this dataset as a replacement, by analyzing the online county index to SMASCH specimen records on the Herbaria website. At the current time, Calflora has no agreement with the Herbaria concerning the exchange of data.

    ID: ucjeps
    Date included: September 2004
    Total Record Count: 66,167
    Updates?
    Identification Notes
    Although credentials of collectors varies widely, a high proportion of the specimen identifications have been reviewed by experts. Specimens may be available for examination by data users.
    Location Notes
    Locations included in Calflora are counties. Additional location information is available for most individual records on the Herbaria website.

    Although the vast majority of the collection is of plants that were growing without cultivation, some specimens are from botanical gardens and other cultivated sources. In these cases, locations indicated do not necessarily indicate places where the species occurs in the wild.

    Nomenclature
    Nomenclature generally follows current opinion documented in the Jepson Flora Project Index to California Plant Names.
    Contact
    Richard L. Moe, Manager of Collections Data

USDA Forest Service: Ecology Program

    Data Synopsis:
       
    ID: fsecology
    Date included:1997
    Total Record Count: 115,003
    Updates?
    additions expected, existing records may be updated with more precise location data and additional site characteristics
    Conversion Notes
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
    Dataset came without unique record identifiers, Calflora assigned new ones.
    Taxonomic Names came encoded in ADP codes.  Conversion to expanded names uses the Calflora table [ADP-USFS].
    Location data did not come with county name information. An attempt was made to assign county name by translating Meridian/Township/Range/Section into a lat/long centroid of the section.  Then lat/long was converted to county location by Fran Evanisko at BLM, but the results have been problematic. County data warrants further processing and refinement.
    Identification Notes
    Identification was performed in most cases by USFS botanists and field biologists.  Specific collector information was not available.
    Nomenclature
    Sampling methods
    Contact
    Bruce B. Bingham
    USDA Forest Service
    Pacific Northwest Region
    Arcata, CA
    bbingham@fs.fed.us
    voice: 503-808-2251

USDA Forest Service, Pacific North-West: Forest Inventory Assessment

    Data Synopsis:
      Inventory data collected by the National Forest Service of vegetation on National Forest Lands.  The chief objective of forest inventory is to provide data useful for planning, and allocating land resources and management activities.  Most observations are of economically important species (i.e. timber trees) and co-associates.
    ID: fiapnw
    Date included: 1976
    Total Record Count: 29,433
    Updates?
    Conversion Notes
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
    Identification Notes
    Nomenclature
    Sampling methods
    Contact
    Timothy Swedburg and Charles Bolsinger
    USDA Pacific Northwest Research Station
    P.O. Box 3890
    Portland OR 97208
    (503) 808-2044

USDA NRCS-National Plants Data Center:
California County Occurrence Information from Botanical Literature

    Data Synopsis:
      Records represent vouchered observations published in botanical literature and scientific journals. Most observations are by specialists of the reported taxa, gathered during monographic, taxonomic or floristic research.
    ID: caco
    Date included: 25 August 1998
    Total Record Count: 79,912
    Updates?
    Infrequent updates expected
    • 2001-03-21- Observation type changed to "secondary source" for all records, reflecting new observation type category created for the lit_summary dataset.
    Conversion Notes 
    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.
    Identification Notes
    Nomenclature
    Sampling methods
    A list of journals cited is available.
    Contact:
    Queries regarding the database should be directed to
    Dieter Wilken,
    Director of Research,
    Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

USGS Central Mojave Vegetation Mapping Project

    Data Synopsis:

      This dataset contains field data gathered in connection with vegetation classification and mapping of the central portion of the Mojave Desert. Data were collected during 1997, 1998, and 1999 to characterize vegetation composition and environment on 1242 plots. Data were gathered using plot-based releve methods, and included a vascular plant species list with cover value by species, landform and soil information, general vegetation physiognomy, and human impacts. Fieldwork was carried out under the direction of Kathryn Thomas, USGS Biological Resources Division. Data presented here are part of a larger body of information available in electronic form from the USGS (see contact information below). More information on this project is available at http://www.mojavedata.gov.

    ID: mojave

    Date included: 18 July 2002
    Total Record Count: 21,461
    Updates?
    None expected.
    Transcription Notes 
    Both scientific names and plant codes were provided. In cases where there was disagreement between the name and the code as defined in USDA PLANTS (about 20 cases), the name was given precedence.

    Click here for detailed field-by-field notes.

    Identification Notes
    Although specimens may have been collected, individual field observations are not documented by specific specimens. Consequently, these observations are classified as ‘reported’. All observations are attributed here to Kathryn A. Thomas, who supervised the project and reviewed work of field personnel. Names of field crew members connected with individual observations may be available from the data contributor upon request (see contact information).
    Nomenclature
    Names used are generally consistent with Jepson Manual usage (Hickman 1993). Names in this dataset are, with few exceptions, the original names used by the field observers.
    Date Notes
    Exact date of survey was recorded for each plot.
    Location Notes
    Data were provided as UTM coordinates in NAD 83 datum. Field crews used aerial photos, maps and military-grade GPS to find preselected plot locations. Precision of locations provided is estimated at 0.25 hectares (location of plant observed is not more than about 25m from the point described by the UTM coordinates). ‘County’ was not provided by the data contributor, values here are interpreted from the UTM coordinates.
    Sampling methods
    These data are classified as 'plot list'. Data were collected as comprehensive species lists of 1) perennial native plants, and 2) annual and perennial exotic plants, for circular plots of 1000 sq. meters. An environmental sampling framework was developed using satellite imagery and other information to produce an initial vegetation stratification. Then, for each class in that stratification, a suitable number of sampling locations 1 square km in size were randomly selected. Within each 1 km location, up to eight sample plots were selected to represent the different topographic subclasses present. A report describing these methods will be available on the Mojave Vegetation Project website, http://www.mojavedata.gov. Data presented here are from the first of three stages of sampling used to develop the Central Mojave Vegetation Map.
    Contact
    Kathryn Thomas
    USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
    Colorado Plateau Field Station
    Northern Arizona University
    P.O. Box 5614, Bldg. 24
    Flagstaff AZ 86011-5614
    Kathryn_A_Thomas@usgs.gov

UC Riverside Herbarium

    Data Synopsis:
    ID: UCR
    Date included: March 2005
    Total Record Count: 75,227
    Updates?
    Updates expected every few years as the Herbarium's collection grows.

East Bay CNPS Rare and Unusual Plants Database

    Data Synopsis:
      The East Bay Chapter of CNPS has designated species that are rare or threatened locally but possibly more common elsewhere as "Unusual Plants." Criteria were developed and a ranking system was devised to denote the degree of rarity and endangerment of these species. (Please see a complete description of this project here .)
    ID: ebrupd
    Date included: November 2005
    Last Update: July 2007
    Total Record Count: 18,030
    Updates?
    Updates expected yearly.
    Contact
    Dianne Lake
    Unusual Plants Coordinator, East Bay CNPS
    email

Yosemite National Park Natural Resource Inventory

Cosumnes River Preserve

McLaughlin Reserve
 
Calflora  -  1700 Shattuck Av #198, Berkeley, CA 94709  -  510 528-5426