Plants of the World Online (POWO)

Primary source

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Kew’s global taxonomic authority for vascular plants: the accepted name, full synonymy, and the native / introduced distribution (TDWG botanical-country resolution) for ~1.4 million names. Plotwright’s region-appropriate primary botanical authority for European and global flora — and a reliable native-range source for species (hybrids, tropical, neotropical) that a US extension toolbox does not profile.

Visit source

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What you'll find here

Accepted scientific name + synonymy

Authoritative native vs introduced distribution

Taxonomic-status verification (accepted / synonym)

Region-appropriate authority for European + Brazilian flora

Specific data we draw from it: accepted name (IPNI fqId), synonymy, native distribution (TDWG regions), introduced distribution (TDWG regions).

Good to know

Synonymy honesty. When a familiar horticultural name (e.g. Tibouchina granulosa) is a synonym of the accepted name (Pleroma granulosum), surface the accepted name alongside the recognised one rather than silently picking one.

Distribution scope. POWO distribution is native-range botany at TDWG botanical-country resolution — regional context, not a garden hardiness statement; pair with a horticultural source for cultivation.

How to cite this source

Cite the specific taxon page (https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/<IPNI-fqId>); record the accepted name when the cited name is a synonym.

License

POWO content is © Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, released under CC BY 3.0; factual taxonomy + distribution are not copyrightable but attribution to Kew/POWO is required.

Caution

POWO is a botanical (taxonomy + native-range) authority, not a cultivation guide — it tells you what a plant is and where it grows wild, not how to grow it. Distribution is wild native range, not cultivated or naturalised garden performance.

Cited by 34 plants