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.
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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 Department of Food & Agriculture
Herbarium
Data Synopsis:
Records include weeds of California that have been vouchered
in the herbarium at the California Department of Food & Agriculture, and observations of weeds.
Specimens were collected mostly by CDA employees, and are theoretically
available for examination.
ID: weeds
Date included: 1997
Last Update: 2008
Total Record Count: 11,969
Contact
- Please contact the staff at
Calflora
with your specific request before contacting data owner:
Fred Hrusa
California Department of Food & Agriculture
California Department of Fish and Game:
Natural Diversity Database
Data Synopsis:
The
California
Natural Diversity Data Base (CNDDB), part of the
NatureServe 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. The records that appear on Calflora
are a subset of the complete CNDDB collection,
and each record contains only several fields from
the corresponding complete CNDDB record.
This subset is intended to indicate the distribution of rare plant species
only 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
Recent Updates:
May 2008 (15,452 records)
February 2006 (24,907 records)
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.
From February, 2006, until May, 2008, the CNDDB
made observer, last observation date, and elevation available
to Calflora for each taxon/quad record.
(In the case of multiple points within a quad, the observer provided
was the primary one used by CNDDB for mapping purposes.)
As of May, 2008, CNDDB is no longer providing observer,
observation date, or elevation to Calflora.
Please contact CA-DFG CNDDB directly
for more detailed data on particular records.
Nomenclature
-
Scientific names in this dataset follow
the CNPS Inventory Database
very closely.
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 Department of Fish and Game
Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program
Data Synopsis:
ID: dfg_veg
Date first included: October, 2008
Total Record Count:
Delta assesment: 4,830
Conversion Notes
For the Delta assessment, samples were taken in 378 stands of vegetation
around the Legal Delta (in San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano,
and Contra Costa counties).
For each stand,
DFG provided Calflora with the location of a
gps point recorded within or on the edge of the stand,
a list of the 12-20 dominant or characteristic species
within the stand,
and the percent cover of each species over the entire stand.
Nomenclature
-
Scientific names in this dataset follow
current usage in the
Index of California Plant Names.
In the Delta assesment 260
full scientific names are reported, and 105 genus only names
are reported.
Sampling methods
Rapid Assesment Protocol
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 is also available in print.
ID: cnps
Date included: 1998
Last Updated: October 2008
Total Record Count: 18,085 records
The original dataset contains 2177 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.
Because the scientific names in this dataset
are sometimes not support by other nomenclature authorities,
Calflora treats CNPS as its own nomenclature authority
in the
Plant Name Library.
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:
Nick Jensen
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
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 ESRI 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.
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.
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
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
Consortium of California 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.
It was prepared from a file generated by the Consortium for Calflora.
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: 109,872
Last Update: June, 2008
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
-
Consortium of California Herbaria
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
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
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.
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
Data Synopsis:
This dataset contains vegetation and habitat information for 362
sample plots established for vegetation inventory and mapping in
Yosemite National Park. Some of the survey plots were also used
for gathering information on fuel accumulation. Data were collected
by teams of field personnel working under the direction of Peggy
Moore, USGS Biological Resources Division, over the period 1988
to 1993. These data form part of an integrated in-house GIS library
for Yosemite. They are not available online or in published form.
ID: yosemite_nri
Date included: 26 February 2002
Total Record Count: 6,507
Updates?
No updates expected, this project is complete.
Transcription Notes
Data were provided in 3 primary tables which were combined to
create the records presented here. These included a listing of
species occurrences by plot, location and environmental information
about plots, and vegetation type occurrences by plot. Additional
tables provided translations for vegetation types and other codes.
Original data not transcribed here include percent cover and cover
class values for species, and several environmental parameters
for plots. Locations were rounded to 1000 m before submission
to Calflora.
Click here
for detailed field-by-field notes.
Identification Notes
Species determinations were made in the field by trained technicians
working under the direction of a botanist expert in the flora of
the region. Individual observations were generally not vouchered
and are classified here as 'reports'.
Nomenclature
Plant names were submitted to keep Calflora on line nomenclature consistent
with the Jepson Manual (1993), transcribed from field data in Munz-era
nomenclature.
Date Notes
Dates were recorded as exact day of observation in years from 1988
to 1993.
Location Notes
Plot locations were originally recorded as UTM coordinates with
a precision of 10 to 100 meters. These values were rounded to 1000
meters before submission to Calflora. More precise locations for
particular plots may be available on request.
Sampling methods
Occurrence observations are from 0.1 ha plots within a study area
that included all of Yosemite National Park. Plot locations were
selected on a stratified random bases, with strata representing
approximately 70 LANDSAT Thematic Mapper (TM) categories and 1,000
foot elevation zone. Four sites were selected within each elevation
zone/TM category combination. Plots were circular with a radius
of 17.84m. Observers recorded all vascular plant species present
within the plots. They also collected data on vegetation structure,
species composition, and a number of other plot attributes. Vegetation
types present within 100m of the plot were also recorded.
Contact
Peggy Moore
U.S. Geological Survey, Yosemite Field Station
P. O. Box 700
El Portal CA 95318
Cosumnes River Preserve
McLaughlin Reserve
Data Synopsis:
These data are from a plant list for the University of California, Davis' Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin Reserve and immediately adjacent public lands. A concerted effort to compile a complete species list for this locality has been undertaken over the past 25 years by rare-plant experts (consulting for Homestake Mining Company, the former managers of the property), ecologists conducting research on the property, and Reserve staff. While some reported occurrences remain unvouchered, the plant list for the most part is well documented and populations of sensitive species are well mapped both in space and time.
ID: mclaughlin
Date included: March 2007
Total Record Count: 699
Updates? periodic revisions are expected.
Notes on Location and Date:
Please contact Reserve staff to gain access to the Reserve before you attempt to either verify a record or conduct any additional exploration. Botanical explorations are encouraged but need to be arranged with site staff in order to ensure security of research and teaching occurring on the site.
Records in this dataset are not distinguished as to location;
all records are georeferenced to a single point inside the Reserve.
Records in this dataset are not distinguished as to observation date;
the date shown on the records, July, 2005, represents when
the list of species was compiled, not when the plants were observed.
Vouchered specimens are kept at the UC Davis Herbarium or at the McLaughlin Reserve.
For the actual location of any species mentioned in the
dataset, or the actual date when specimens were taken,
please contact the Reserve.
Information about some of the vouchered specimens
kept at the UC Davis Herbarium
is available
from the
California Consortium of Herbaria website
.
Contact
Paul Aigner or Catherine Koehler
Resident Co-Directors
UC Davis - McLaughlin Reserve
26775 Morgan Valley Rd.
Lower Lake, CA 95457
(707) 995 9005
mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu
Invasive Spartina Project - DRAFT DATA
Overview:
The Invasive Spartina Project is a coordinated regional effort among local, state and federal organizations dedicated to preserving California's extraordinary coastal biological resources through the elimination of introduced species of Spartina (cordgrass).
Data Synopsis:
The ISP surveys the Bay annually to assess and map the distribution of introduced Spartina species. The mapping project is a field-based effort, utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS) units to collect location and ecological data for each found population of invasive Spartina. Highly infested marshes are mapped by digitizing ground-truthed color IR aerial photos.
Calflora acknowledges the Invasive Spartina Project,
the State Coastal Conservancy, the Calfed Bay-Delta Program,
and the State Wildlife Conservation Board for use of this data
ID: isp
Date included: February 20, 2009,
from draft data provided by ISP on December 11, 2008.
Total Record Count: 205 (North Richmond only)
Updates?
ISP has data covering
the entire Bay. Data currently available on Calflora
is a subset which includes only data from the North Richmond area.
Location Notes
Location data were provided to Calflora in the form of points
in an ESRI shapefile.
Contact
The Bay Area Early Detection Network (BAEDN)
Overview:
The Bay Area Early Detection Network is a collaborative partnership of regional land managers and invasive species experts. The BAEDN coordinates Early Detection and Rapid Response to infestations of invasive plants, proactively dealing with new outbreaks before they can grow into large and costly environmental threats.
Data Synopsis:
BAEDN data is contributed by various
individuals and institutions, and concerns weeds
which are spreading to new locations in the Bay Area.
ID: baedn
Date included: September 30, 2008
Updates?
New BAEDN data is being actively contributed.
Revisions to existing records are expected occasionally.
Contact
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