Hello folks! I hope this post finds you all well. I have been working on a post titled “Understanding and Writing Scientific Plant Names” for the past week. It has been very interesting and fun putting it together and I have learned a few things along the way. That is always a very good thing.

Yesterday I was working on the post and noticed a misspelling on The Plant List. Well, I sent an email to the editors to point it out. I also quizzed them about when a new version was coming out. I pointed out that many other websites are updating names and The Plant List hasn’t been updated since 2013. It makes them look bad, especially since some of the sites are maintained by organizations that contribute to The Plant List. It is strange that The Plant List will say that a name has changed when the Missouri Botanical Garden website didn’t change the name. The Missouri Botanical Garden, along with Kew (Royal Botanical Garden) and many other top plant organizations have links on The Plant List to verify certain information or do further research.

I had sent other emails before and never received any replies. SO, I was very surprised when I checked my email today and had a reply. I replied back and, WOW, he replied right back AGAIN! BUT, sad to say, he told me that The Plant List was no longer being maintained. He said it was because of lack of funding. He did send a link to another website called Plants of the World Online (POWO). He said that all the updated data could soon be found on that website.

It seems that Tropicos and the Missouri Botanical Garden may not be involved with this project (or the many other organizations linked with The Plant List. KEW, The International Plant Names Index (IPNI) and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families seem to be the ones responsible for this new undertaking.

To check out Plants of the World Online click HERE!

To check out The Plant List 2013 version click HERE.

I put both links so you can see the difference.

I must admit I am a bit relieved to know why The Plant List hasn’t been updated since 2013. Maybe now I can stop pulling out my hair and standing on my head. It is getting a bit cold to run around the house in the middle of the night and jumping in the pond because I was frustrated. The cows thought I had gone mad. The owls will no longer have to put up with me joining them in the tree and the bobcat will be relieved that I will no longer be chasing him down the Rock Island Trail.

SO, from here on out, it looks like I will be using a new website for plant name research.  I still have close to 400 plant pages that are under construction and/or drafts that are not even on the list to the right, so I can easily make necessary adjustments. Now I have to make some fixes on the post I am working on.

SO, for now, I have to get back to the new post I am working on and make sure everything I wrote is correct. God only knows what names have changed since the 2013 version of The Plant List.

Take care and may the Universe bless you abundantly! Don’t forget to get dirty. I know it is getting cooler here, but one little run around the house barefooted won’t hurt you. No matter where you are and what the temperature is.