Introduction - Species Plantarum Programme

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SPECIES PLANTARUM — FLORA OF THE WORLD (1999)
• It was agreed that the project would develop both a traditional printed Flora and an
electronic database simultaneously.
• At least one major family treatment (Juncaceae; c. 10 genera, 325 species) was noted as
being in preparation for Species Plantarum by a consortium of international botanists, and
the Steering Committee identified a number of others which could be developed quickly.
• Two draft family treatments, Irvingiaceae (David Harris) and Morinaceae (M.J &
J.F.M.Cannon) were tabled. It was agreed that these provided excellent models for the
printed Flora, should be published as soon as possible, and be widely distributed.
• The Australian Biological Resources Study (Environment Australia, Canberra) was
invited to act as editing coordinator and publisher of the printed version of Species
Plantarum. Format was to follow, in general, Flora of Australia, with minor modifications as
agreed. Publication would be in self-contained fascicles, each covering a family, subfamily
or other large contiguous group (e.g. a large genus or group of related genera).
• It was agreed that the vehicle for electronic publication should be the Global Plant
Checklist of the International Organisation for Plant Information (IOPI). In the first instance
information on names, bibliographic information, type information, and distributional
information will be passed from the printed version of the Flora to the compilers of the IOPI
Checklist project. Descriptive information and miscellaneous notes, which present major
difficulties in development of a protocol and format, will not be databased initially, but may
be added later.
• It was agreed that Species Plantarum had to be an international project not just in name,
but in its writing and publication as well. It provides an ideal vehicle for capacity-building in
taxonomy, and every effort should be made to involve young taxonomists, particularly from
developing countries, in all aspects of the project.
The way forward
This introduction contains materials necessary to guide potential contributors in the
preparation of Species Plantarum treatments, and to provide general information for users. It
consists of a Guide for Contributors, Glossary, a list of Abbreviations and Contractions,
explanation of the 'Country' abbreviations used to describe distribution, and maps showing
the extent and location of those 'Countries'. As some of these instructions may change over
time, they will also be available in regularly updated form on the World Wide Web, via the
ABRS homepage (currently http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/), and the IOPI homepage
(currently http://life.csu.edu.au/iopi/iopihome.html).
The Guide for Contributors will be translated into a number of other languages for ease of
use, although the language of Species Plantarum will be English.
The Priorities and Contributors Subcommittee of Species Plantarum will be primarily
responsible for recruitment and coordination of authors of particular groups, but volunteers
are invited to contact any member of the Steering Committee with offers to contribute. It is
intended that parts will be published in the order completed, and will each contain a family,
subfamily or other group of related taxa. With the exception of small families, it is intended
that individual parts will contain a minimum of 50 to 100 species.
Contributions will provide descriptions of taxa from family to infra-specific ranks,
synonymy, classification, keys for identification at all intermediate levels, illustrations,
maps, and brief discussions of biology, biogeography and variability. All validly published names
will be accounted for either as accepted names, synonyms or names of uncertain application,
and bibliographic details and typification for each name will be provided.