Help:Expanding the species list

For the launching of this site, we were able to compile several lists of species. We reached a number of ca. 11000 species. Those lists are supposed to be comprehensive in their domain, and up-to-date as far as nomenclature is concerned. After their creation, species names are checked with GRIN, Pl@ntList and other relevant nomenclatural databases. When we find conflicting names, we have to choose one, and we explain the reasons of our choice. This is a never ending task, as classification changes continuously. Current synonyms (those used less than 20 years ago) are put in redirect pages.

Once done, a robot could create as many "species pages", adding automatically links to several databases. This makes things easier for the common collaborator, who can then edit pages without having to create them.

One of the tasks to be done is to compile lists for other regions of the world. The reference to each book or database could then be added automatically by a robot, and we could eventually be able to give rough numbers of plants which are used worldwide, something which has never been achieved. By putting each species in the relevant use categories, we could also say how many plants are used as timber, pulse, spice...

Thank you for mentioning books we have missed or giving us indexes of scientific names.

Please note that pages are first cleaned and documented in French, due to lack of time. So, if you wish to document a page in English, please copy, paste and translate the French page. For links and basic data, you don't need to really speak French.

Status of the work

We try to open pages only for species which are attested as useful, in order not to be overloaded with all the species worldwide.

• PROTA has been entirely uploaded, and species pages created with a link to PROTA.

• All the pages for species mentioned in Grieve have been created. This book is quite comprehensive for European pharmacopeia, but the index gives English names and obsolete botanical names. The automatic link to Grieve has now been deleted.

• We are now creating pages for all the species mentioned in Moerman. After that, we will do the same for FAO Ecocrop and Feedipedia, and then for PROSEA and species in GRIN which have a documented use.

At this stage, we will have a quite good coverage of useful plants worlwide. By copying the names in category Category:Seed plant, we will be able to document the genus pages with all their useful species, and work coprehensively on a particular genus.

The list of books and references should best be put on the pages of inventories: Useful plants.