The Wildflower Center has created one of the country’s most robust web-based native plant databases for North America, called the Native Plant Information Network. The free website gives users access to more than 8,000 plant profiles (one-third of all North American species), with an associated 45,000 plant images, geographic ranges, growing conditions, bibliographies and additional supporting information.
It also provides users with lists of regional native plant suppliers and organizations, an online question-and-answer area (Mr. Smarty Plants) and more. The website is used by more than 2.4 million people each year from around the world, and those people look at pages more than 12 million times.
The native plant database is an important tool that can help both homeowners and landscape professionals create healthy gardens and landscapes that save water, support pollinators and help the environment. Homeowners use it to find native plants for use in their home and neighborhood gardens. Landscape designers use it to find plants for clients. Plant enthusiasts use it to identify rare species and learn more about the plants in their environment. Botanists and students use it to identify and study native plants.
The database is essential component of the Center’s national strategy to conserve native plants and create healthy, native landscapes.