Reference Resources
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Catalogue of Life
The Species2000 project has as its goal
-- "enumerating all known species of plants, animals, fungi and microbes on Earth as the baseline dataset for studies of
global biodiversity". Within this catalogue, one should be able to find the classification of that for which they're looking.
Pesticide: Toxicity
EXtension TOXicology NETwork (EXTOXNET) is a cooperative effort among several Universities. This page
allows you to search using case-sensitive keywords. Or if you prefer, you can simply browse through the
extensive resources available from EXTOXNET.
Plants: Endangered Species
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): One way to useful method for accessing this
database, which really brings things home, is to: (1) leave the search field blank, (2) place a checkmark next
to your locale (in my case, I checkmarked "Virginia"), (3) click the Display Results button. Of course, there are other
ways to "search" as well.
Plants: Invasive Species
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
Get the latest news on the National (and International) scene, regarding invasive species. The above-linked sitemap gives one a
much broader view of the issues, but of particular interest might be the sections on
Terrestrial Plants and
Aquatic & Wetlands Plants.
Plants: Photos
University of California (Berkeley) Digital Library Project: Utilize this search form, to find photos of some 35,880+
plants (fungi, habitats, etc.). The search form actually allows one to perform a query across seven different databases,
simultaneously. This library is a wonderful way, not only to locate hard to find photos of certain genus, but also provides
a means (via e-mail) for getting in-touch with the originator of the image(s).
Plants: Phytochemical Database
Do you want to know what is actually in the plants that you grow and eat? Using this database query, you'll be presented with
an extensive list of all chemicals, including details as to which part of the plant (root, stem, leaf, seed) contains which chemical.
Additionally; using this alternate query,
you can easily discover which plants (and parts thereof) are particularly high in certain chemicals (such as; calcium, gold,
iron, zinc, etc.)!
Plants: Poisonous
University of PENNsylvania (UPENN)'s database of poisonous plants. Browse this database by common name,
or by latin name. Be sure to visit the
Treatments Appendix,
where important-to-know First-Aid information is documented.
Plants: Poisonous to Animals
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)'s searchable database typically contains
plants which are most commonly found in the midwestern states. But there are some common houseplants included as well.
Plants: Poisonous: Canadian Information System
Which common household plant(s) might cause which of the following symptoms; elevated heart rate, memory loss,
dry mouth, or stomach cramps? Don't know? Looking-up such things is made rather simple, using this database!
Plants: preferred pH
Knowing the pH range in which a plant thrives can help you get the most enjoyment (and yield) from your efforts. This database
is divided into four categories (flower/ornamental, fruit, house/greenhouse, and vegetable/herb) which when selected may be
browsed according to the alphabetical-common-name (of plants within the selected category).
Soil: Mulching
Whether you are attempting to generally improve the state of your soil; or are trying to control weeds in the vegetable garden; or
are just wanting to lend an attractive appearance to your landscaped beds; mulching can help to meet your desires.
Believe it or not; there can be some drawbacks to mulching, as well as many benefits, do you know which apply to your specific
situation? Take a moment to read-up on this subject, in this article (as presented by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System).
It could mean some savings to you (in terms of energy, time, and monetary, expenditures)!
Soil: Sampling
Knowing what's in (and not in) your soil forms the basis for any amendment action you might decide to undertake. Is there a right
way to perform your soil sampling? If so; what are the keys to obtaining accurate, and reliable, soil samples? There has
been much published on this subject. An excellent summary on the subject is this site, which is presented to us by
North Carolina State University.
Agriculture Extension Services
Are you looking to physically visit an agriculture extension service near to you, or maybe
just want to compare whatever information they share (from their online offerings)? Then
you'll want to bookmark (or add to favorites) this web site.
Searchable Plant Database
Are you looking for additional plants to fill-in around your yard/garden? Claiming to have
the World's Largest Database (38,000+ entries), the NeoFlora web site allows one
to search for plants -- using type, characteristic, or descriptive info. Use of this site
is a bit slow (waiting on ADs to load), but all-in-all it's probably worth the wait.
Texas A&M Univ. Extension: Pruning Techniques
What are some key reasons for pruning? What is the best time of year to prune? Is there a best method approach to pruning trees?
Is there any difference between topping and thinning a tree's growth pattern? Learn about this and more, using these
proper pruning techniques.
USDA Plant-Hardiness Zones
As designated by the U.S.D.A.; did you know that there are actually twenty plant-hardiness
zones (when one is counting all of the sub-zones too)? The associated link (above) more
clearly shows these subdivided zones, and
this link
shows zones across the North American continent (as well as Hawaii).
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