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The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity

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Overview

Paper Summary › Explain Like I'm Five › Conflicts of Interest › Identified Limitations › Rating Explanation › Good to know › Topic Hierarchy › File Information ›

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title
Keeping Tabs on All the Plants (Almost)! A Giant Checklist Gets a Digital Makeover

This paper describes the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), a comprehensive, continuously updated database of over 340,000 accepted plant species and 1.3 million plant names. It's compiled from published literature, databases, herbaria, and expert review, and aims to be a central resource for plant research and conservation efforts worldwide.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists made a super big list, like a giant book, with all the different kinds of plants in the world. They keep adding to it so we can learn about plants and help keep them safe.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified.

Identified Limitations

Lack of transparency in expert review process
The data descriptor lacks details on the methodology used for expert review. How were experts selected? What were their qualifications? What specific criteria did they use for review? This lack of transparency makes it difficult to assess the reliability and consistency of the taxonomic decisions.
Uncertainty about future data platform and API
The data descriptor mentions a planned transition to a new data platform and API. However, the timeline and details of this transition are vague. This lack of clarity raises concerns about the long-term accessibility and sustainability of the data.
Lack of transparency in handling user feedback
The data descriptor mentions feedback emails as a source of updates. However, there is no information on how this feedback is evaluated and incorporated. Is there a formal process for assessing the validity of feedback? This lack of transparency raises concerns about the potential for bias or errors introduced through user feedback.

Rating Explanation

This data descriptor presents a valuable resource for plant biodiversity research. The WCVP dataset is comprehensive, continuously updated, and freely available online. The data collation and review processes are well-documented, and the use of international data standards ensures data quality. However, some limitations include the lack of complete geographic data in the current release and some lack of transparency in expert review and feedback handling processes.

Good to know

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File Information

Original Title: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity
Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 06:45 AM
Privacy: Public