Floras, Apps & Field Guides
Published floras have traditionally been the main means of synthesizing information on the species of plants in an area—their habitats, phenology, classification, common names, and practical identification. The Herbarium has published three comprehensive floras: the Flora of Virginia, coauthored with Chris Ludwig and Johnny Townsend, the Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, and the recently released Flora of the Southeastern United States. The Flora of Virginia has won several awards, including the Thomas Jefferson Award for Conservation.
Through these and other major accomplishments, the Herbarium and allied researchers are today viewed as primary sources for information on southeastern U.S plants—information that is a foundational tool used by botanists, foresters, horticulturists, conservationists, and students throughout the U.S.
With help from UNC’s Carolina Apps Program, the Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States was recently transformed into an iPhone/iPad application, known as FloraQuest. The app allows mobile identification of over 7,000 plant species in a 14-state region through an interactive interface.
