LibGuides: Biology: Plants

Selected New Books on this Topic

Gardens and human agency in the anthropocene Diogo, Maria Paula, editor.

The science of marijuana Iversen, Leslie L., author.

Related Resources

Tip #1:

Names are important when it comes to searching for plants, and a single plant may have many names. Start your process by not only looking up the scientific name of the plant you are researching, but also common names and variations on these names among different groups. You may need to search for a variety of different ways of describing the same plant.

Tip #2:
Sometimes you may find it difficult to locate information on a very specific species or variety of plant. It may be helpful at times to look much more broadly at the genus or family of plants that your subject falls within, or at other plants that have similar characteristics to the one you are searching for and then make the connection to the specific plant you are looking at yourself.

Images / Herbarium Collections Outside of Augustana

Plant Search - The Arnold Arboretum Includes a searchable database of items contained in Arnold Arboretum's herbarium
ArbPIX Plant Image Search - Arnold Arboretum ArbPIX is the Arnold Arboretum's plant image database containing historical and contemporary images of accessioned plants. Images detail structural characteristics (morphology) and seasonal aspects (phenology) of temperate woody plants in the living collections.
C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium The C. V. Starr Virtual Herbarium is the gateway to the digitized specimens of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium with over four million specimens digitized.
University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley This worldwide collection features plants of documented wild origin from nearly every continent, with an emphasis on plants from mediterranean climates (California, Mediterranean Basin, Australia, South Africa, and Chile).
The Virtual Herbarium - Fairchild Tropical Garden Herbarium The Virtual Herbarium is a text and photographic database of the specimens in the Fairchild Tropical Garden Herbarium. The FTG herbarium now incorporates the Florida Atlantic University herbarium as well as the Buswell collection from the University of Miami. There are currently 80,000 records that are seachable by family, genus, collector and other fields. 30,000 of these records have high resolution photographs of the specimen in a format that can be zoomed in and out in the browser.
vPlants: a Virtual Herbarium of the Chicago Region Currently the site contains data for more than 120,000 plant specimens records from more than 30 institutions. The core of these collections, ca, 80,000, come from three institution with particularly rich Chicago Region collections: the Field Museum of Natural History, The Morton Arboretum, and the Chicago Botanic Garden. These three institutions formed vPlants in 2001.
The Charles Sturt University Virtual Herbarium The Charles Sturt University Virtual Herbarium is taking the plants of the Murray and Murrumbidgee to the web. The Virtual Herbarium allows you to view specimen information and images, obtain detailed revegetation information for the South West Slopes and the Riverina of NSW, access the On-Line Grasses Guide and use the Woodland Web:
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas - Bell Museum The Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas is an online, searchable interface integrating an extensive set of over 5 terabytes of data from the Bell Museum on birds, mammals, fishes, plants, and fungi to enhance research capacity to perform a range of activities from biological surveys to conservation planning.
AVH - The Australian Virtual Herbarium Australian and New Zealand herbaria house over eight million plant, algae and fungi specimens. Herbarium specimens are an important resource for research on the Australasian flora and provide a permanent record of the occurrence of a species at a particular place and time. The AVH provides access to the collecting data associated with these specimens.
JACQ Herbarium Management System and Specimen Database JACQ is the jointly administered herbarium management system and specimen database of the following herbaria: ADMONT, B, BAK, BATU, BP, BRNU, CBH, CHER, DR, ERE, FT, GAT, GJO, GZU, HAL, HERZ, JE, KIEL, KFTA, KUFS, LAGU, LECB, LW, LWKS, LWS, LZ, MJG, NBSI, OLD, PAV, PI, PIAGR, PRC, TBI, TGU, TMRC, TUB, UBT, W, WU and WUP.

U.S. Government Resources

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History The plant collections of the Smithsonian Institution began with the acquisition of specimens collected by the United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842). These formed the foundation of a National Herbarium which today numbers over 5 million historical plant records, placing it among the world's largest and most important. Over 4.2 million specimen records (including over 115,000 type specimens with images) are currently available in this online catalog.
United States Botanic Garden Steeped in history, rich with tradition, the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a living plant museum that informs visitors about the importance, and often irreplaceable value, of plants to the well-being of humans and to earth's fragile ecosystems. Includes a wide variety of resources, including educational resources marketed at the general public, information about sustainable practices, and urban agriculture, etc.
United States Culture Collection Network Mission Facilitate the safe and responsible utilization of microbial resources for research, education, industry, medicine, and agriculture for the betterment of humankind by providing opportunities for U.S. culture collection workers to engage with each other and with the broader culture collection community.

On this page, you will find a sampling of some protocols for the handling / preservation of plant materials from collections around the world. This is not a complete list, but can help you to see what some major institutions are doing.

General Information

Concise Encyclopedia of Plant Pathology (2004) - Online An easy-to-use reference source covering the full range of subject areas associated with plant pathology.
Guide to the Naturalized Invasive Plants of Eastern Africa (2017) - Online The main aim of this Field Guide is to enable people to identify some of the alien plant species that are invasive, potentially invasive, or naturalized in East Africa (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) and Ethiopia, and to enable them to learn more about the impacts of these species and about possible options for managing and controlling such plants.
Guide to the Naturalized Invasive Plants of Southeast Asia (2017) - Online
The CABI Encyclopedia of Forest Trees (2013) - Online The CABI Encyclopedia of Forest Trees provides an extensive overview of 300 of the world's most important forest trees. Tropical, subtropical, temperate and boreal trees of major economic importance are included, covering tree species used in agroforestry practices around the world.
The Macquarie Dictionary of Trees & Shrubs (1986) - Online A comprehensive listing of the plants found in Australian gardens, including native trees, shrubs and climbers, as well as those introduced from other parts of the world.

Genetic Engineering

Genetically Engineered Crops Experiences and Prospects (2016) - Online Genetically Engineered Crops builds on previous related Academies reports published between 1987 and 2010 by undertaking a retrospective examination of the purported positive and adverse effects of GE crops and to anticipate what emerging genetic-engineering technologies hold for the future. This report indicates where there are uncertainties about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food, and makes recommendations to fill gaps in safety assessments, increase regulatory clarity, and improve innovations in and access to GE technology.

Medicinal Plants

Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices (2017) - Online The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices provides comprehensive coverage of the taxonomy, botany, chemistry, functional properties, medicinal uses, culinary uses and safety issues relating to over 250 species of herbs and spices. These herbs and spices constitute an important agricultural commodity; many are traded globally and are indispensable for pharmaceuticals, flavouring foods and beverages, and in the perfumery and cosmetic industries.
National Geographic Complete Guide to Natural Home Remedies: 1,025 Easy Ways to Live Longer, Feel Better, and Enrich Your Life (2012) - Online Created with a nationally recognized advisory board of medical professionals and leading figures in natural healing fields, National Geographic Complete Guide to Natural Home Remedies covers topics ranging from the familiar to the new and promising: from mint tea for a stomachache to onion juice for a bee sting, from using baking soda as a kitchen cleanser to finding quiet in a crowded world, from adding turmeric to fight arthritis to practicing aromatherapy at home.
Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects (2011) - Online he global popularity of herbal supplements and the promise they hold in treating various disease states have caused an unprecedented interest in understanding the molecular basis of the biological activity of traditional remedies. This volume focuses on presenting current scientific evidence of biomolecular effects of selected herbs and their relation to clinical outcome and promotion of human health. This book also addresses the ethical challenges of using herbal medicine and its integration into modern, evidence-based medicine. Drawing from the work of leading international researchers in different fields, this book contains an in-depth scientific examination of effects of individual herbs, as well as their use in the treatment of important diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, dermatologic disorders, neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes. Due to the strong associations among oxidative stress, ageing, and disease, the powerful antioxidant properties of herbs and spices are also examined. The herbs featured are some of the most widely used remedies and cover a wide range, including flowering herbs, fruits and berries, roots and rhizomes, and fungi. To help bring a new level of quality control to the production of herbal extracts, the use of mass spectrometry and chemometric fingerprinting technology in the authentication of herbs is also presented. As the need for effective, affordable health promotion and treatment increases, especially in the growing ageing population, there is demand for rigorous scientific examination of herbal medicines. This timely and comprehensive volume addresses this need and is an important text for medical professionals and researchers, as well as those interested in herbal or complementary medicine.
The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research (2017) - Online hifting public sentiment, conflicting and impeded scientific research, and legislative battles have fueled the debate about what, if any, harms or benefits can be attributed to the use of cannabis or its derivatives, and this lack of aggregated knowledge has broad public health implications. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids provides a comprehensive review of scientific evidence related to the health effects and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This report provides a research agenda—outlining gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for providing additional insight into these issues—that summarizes and prioritizes pressing research needs.

On this page are links to a variety of databases available through Tredway Library that may be of use to your research. You may need to log into your library account to access these resources.

Global Plants
What's included?
*Features 2,000,000+ high-resolution type specimens
*Access to resources related to plants and botany

ScienceDirect College Edition
What's included?
*Full coverage of several multiple discipline journals

PubMed
What's included?
*Citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE and other resources

Web of Science
What's included?
*Citations to academic related publications
*To access Web of Science from off-campus, you must first register (create an account) while on campus.
To do this, follow these steps:
1. Access Web of Science by going to the Augustana College library website. (For example, on the “A-Z Resources” page.)
2. Click Sign In along the top navigation.
3. Click Register to create a new account. (You will be asked to enter your email address to verify that you don’t already have an account.)
4. Fill in the User Registration page.
5. After the username and password you have entered is verified, it will become active.
Keeping your access active:
• In order to keep their access active, users are required to sign in to their account from an IP authenticated (on-campus) computer or device every six months to verify that they are an authorized user.

Environment Complete
What's included?
*Citations and full-text access to resources related to agriculture, ecosystem ecology, and environmental studies

Environmental Issues Online
What's included?
*Resources related to environmental challenges, including climate change, water/air pollution, biodiversity, conservation, agriculture, deforestation and more

Food Studies Online
What's included?
*Access to resources related to food studies

Our World in Data
What's included?
*Access to data on a large range of global problems in health, education, violence, political power, human rights, war, poverty, inequality, energy, hunger, and humanity’s impact on the environment

Image showing where to select I-Share from the drop-down menu of OneSearch. I-Share
Individuals affiliated with Augustana College have access to I-Share, which is a consortium of 100+ libraries across the state of Illinois. You can request items through I-Share to be sent to Augustana's library for you to use in your research. You can select 'All I-Share Libraries' from the drop-down menu next to the OneSearch Box on the library's page to search I-Share's collections. You will need to log in to your library account to place your requests.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

If you need access to an article or other resource that is not available at Augustana's Tredway Library or through I-Share, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan. Books will be delivered to Tredway Library's circulation desk for you to check out, and articles will be sent to you via email.

There are two ways to request materials from other libraries:

Use the request form. New users will have to create a free account here.
Place a request from WorldCat to borrow materials from libraries around the world.

For more information about interlibrary loan, call 309-794-7585 or email your liaison librarian.