Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN)

VASCAN is the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (http://data.canadensys.net/vascan). It is a comprehensive and curated list of all vascular plants reported in Canada, Greenland (Denmark) and Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France). VASCAN is literature-based, though recent additions are sometimes specimen-based. For every core taxon (species, subspecies or variety) we provide the accepted scientific name (Latin), the accepted French and English vernacular names, and their synonyms/alternatives in Canada. We indicate the distribution status (native, introduced, etc.) of the plant for each province or territory, and the habit (tree, shrub, herb or vine) of the plant in Canada. For reported hybrids (nothotaxa or hybrid formulas), we also provide the hybrid parents, except for introduced hybrids. All taxa are linked to a classification. We refer to a source for all name, classification and distribution information.

Summary

Keywords	VASCAN; Canadensys; Canada; Greenland; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; checklist; taxonomy; synonymy; hybrids; vernacular names; English; French; distribution; provinces; habit
Resource Language	eng
Last Publication	Version 22 from Mar 13, 2013
Darwin Core Archive	download (2 MB) 26,690 records
EML	download (51 KB)
RTF	download (20 KB)
GBIF Registration	3f8a1297-3259-4700-91fc-acc4170b27ce
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Endorsing Node	Canada

External Links

Resource Homepage	http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/
GBIF data portal	http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/13558
VASCAN public sql dump	http://canadensys.googlecode.com/svn/vascan-database/mysql/vascan_public_sqldump.sql UTF-8 MySQL dump MySQL 5

Resource Contact

Name	Luc Brouillet
Position	Professor
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Contact	luc.brouillet@umontreal.ca
Home Page	http://www.irbv.umontreal.ca/luc-brouillet

Resource Creator

Name	Luc Brouillet
Position	Professor
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Contact	luc.brouillet@umontreal.ca
Home Page	http://www.irbv.umontreal.ca/luc-brouillet

Metadata Provider

Name	Peter Desmet
Position	Biodiversity Informatics Manager
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Contact	peter.desmet@umontreal.ca
Home Page	http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterdesmet

Associated Parties

Role	editor
Name	Luc Brouillet
Position	Professor
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Contact	luc.brouillet@umontreal.ca
Home Page	http://www.irbv.umontreal.ca/luc-brouillet

Role	editor
Name	Frédéric Coursol
Organisation	Montréal Botanical Garden
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Contact	frederic.coursol@ville.montreal.qc.ca

Role	editor
Name	Marc Favreau
Position	Translator and Language Advisor
Organisation	Translation Bureau (Government of Canada)
Address	Place Bonaventure, Northwest Entrance, Suite 8950, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H5A1K6
Contact	marc.favreau@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

Role	editor
Name	Marilyn Anions
Position	Director of Science
Organisation	NatureServe Canada
Address	960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, CA, Postal Code: K1A0C6
Contact	manions@natureserve.ca

Role	programmer
Name	Peter Desmet
Position	Biodiversity Informatics Manager
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Contact	peter.desmet@umontreal.ca
Home Page	http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterdesmet

Role	programmer
Name	Pierre Bélisle
Position	Biodiversity Informatics Programmer
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Contact	p.belisle@umontreal.ca
Home Page	http://www.linkedin.com/in/pierrebelisle

Role	programmer
Name	Christian Gendreau
Position	Biodiversity Informatics Programmer
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, CA, Postal Code: H1X2B2
Home Page	http://ca.linkedin.com/in/christiangendreau

Role	editor
Name	Susan Meades
Position	Director
Organisation	Northern Ontario Plant Database
Address	c/o Herbarium, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen Ste. East, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, CA, Postal Code: P6A2E5
Contact	herbaria@nrcan.gc.ca
Home Page	http://www.northernontarioflora.ca

Role	publisher
Organisation	Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre
Address	4101 Sherbrooke est, Montréal, Québec, CA, Postal Code: H1X 2B2

Geographic Coverage

Description	This checklist covers all vascular plants (Equisetopsida) reported in Canada, Greenland and Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
Bounding Coordinates	41.71, 83.67 / -141.11, -10.77 (min,max Latitude / min,max Longitude)

Taxonomic Coverage

Description	This checklist covers all vascular plants (Equisetopsida) reported in the area described in Geographic Coverage. The core taxa are species, subspecies or varieties. Varieties within subspecies are accepted, so quadrinomial names may be present. Forms are not included. All taxa are linked to a classification. We follow Christenhusz et al. (2011a) for lycophytes, Smith et al. (2006) for ferns, Christenhusz et al. (2011b) for gymnosperms, APG III (2009) for flowering plants, and Chase and Reveal (2009) for the higher taxonomy. We do not provide core information (synonyms, vernacular names, etc.) for most higher taxa (above species), but we do calculate a distribution and habit based on lower taxa (not included in the dataset). The classification includes 16 ranks. They are, in hierarchical order: class, subclass, superorder, order, family, subfamily, tribe, subtribe, genus, subgenus, section, subsection, series, species, subspecies and variety.

Description

This checklist covers all vascular plants (Equisetopsida) reported in the area described in Geographic Coverage. The core taxa are species, subspecies or varieties. Varieties within subspecies are accepted, so quadrinomial names may be present. Forms are not included. All taxa are linked to a classification. We follow Christenhusz et al. (2011a) for lycophytes, Smith et al. (2006) for ferns, Christenhusz et al. (2011b) for gymnosperms, APG III (2009) for flowering plants, and Chase and Reveal (2009) for the higher taxonomy. We do not provide core information (synonyms, vernacular names, etc.) for most higher taxa (above species), but we do calculate a distribution and habit based on lower taxa (not included in the dataset). The classification includes 16 ranks. They are, in hierarchical order: class, subclass, superorder, order, family, subfamily, tribe, subtribe, genus, subgenus, section, subsection, series, species, subspecies and variety.

Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)
Class	Equisetopsida (Vascular plants)
Family	Acanthaceae, Acoraceae, Adoxaceae, Alismataceae, Amaranthaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Anacardiaceae, Annonaceae, Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Aquifoliaceae, Araceae, Araliaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Asparagaceae, Aspleniaceae, Asteraceae, Balsaminaceae, Berberidaceae, Betulaceae, Bignoniaceae, Blechnaceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Butomaceae, Buxaceae, Cabombaceae, Cactaceae, Campanulaceae, Cannabaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Celastraceae, Ceratophyllaceae, Cistaceae, Cleomaceae, Clethraceae, Colchicaceae, Commelinaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cornaceae, Crassulaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Cupressaceae, Cyperaceae, Dennstaedtiaceae, Diapensiaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Droseraceae, Dryopteridaceae, Elaeagnaceae, Elatinaceae, Equisetaceae, Ericaceae, Eriocaulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Frankeniaceae, Gentianaceae, Geraniaceae, Grossulariaceae, Haemodoraceae, Haloragaceae, Hamamelidaceae, Hydrangeaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Hymenophyllaceae, Hypericaceae, Hypoxidaceae, Iridaceae, Isoëtaceae, Juglandaceae, Juncaceae, Juncaginaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Lentibulariaceae, Liliaceae, Limnanthaceae, Linaceae, Linderniaceae, Loasaceae, Loranthaceae, Lycopodiaceae, Lythraceae, Magnoliaceae, Malvaceae, Marsileaceae, Martyniaceae, Melanthiaceae, Melastomataceae, Menispermaceae, Menyanthaceae, Molluginaceae, Montiaceae, Moraceae, Myricaceae, Nelumbonaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Oleaceae, Onagraceae, Onocleaceae, Ophioglossaceae, Orchidaceae, Orobanchaceae, Osmundaceae, Oxalidaceae, Paeoniaceae, Papaveraceae, Phrymaceae, Phytolaccaceae, Pinaceae, Plantaginaceae, Platanaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Poaceae, Podostemaceae, Polemoniaceae, Polygalaceae, Polygonaceae, Polypodiaceae, Pontederiaceae, Portulacaceae, Potamogetonaceae, Primulaceae, Pteridaceae, Ranunculaceae, Resedaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae, Ruppiaceae, Rutaceae, Salicaceae, Salviniaceae, Santalaceae, Sapindaceae, Sarraceniaceae, Saururaceae, Saxifragaceae, Scheuchzeriaceae, Schizaeaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Selaginellaceae, Simaroubaceae, Smilacaceae, Solanaceae, Staphyleaceae, Stemonaceae, Tamaricaceae, Taxaceae, Thelypteridaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Tofieldiaceae, Typhaceae, Ulmaceae, Urticaceae, Verbenaceae, Violaceae, Vitaceae, Woodsiaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae, Xyridaceae, Zosteraceae, Zygophyllaceae, Cystopteridaceae, Athyriaceae, Penthoraceae, Nartheciaceae

Project Data

Title	Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN)
Name	Luc Brouillet
Personnel Role	editor
Funding	Partial funding came from Parks Canada, Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (CBIF) and NatureServe Canada.

Sampling Methods

Study Extent	Canada, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Sampling Description	VASCAN is literature-based, though recent additions are sometimes specimen-based. The source of the information is referenced for all scientific names, vernacular names and distributions in the dataset. Contributors from each region (http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/about#people) notify the editors of new findings or corrections for plant distributions and statuses.
Quality Control	Almost all scientific names are validated against Tropicos (http://www.tropicos.org), IPNI (http://www.ipni.org), GRIN (http://www.ars-grin.gov) or other plant name databases. Third parties can notify the editors of issues through a public Google Code issue tracker (http://code.google.com/p/canadensys/issues/list?can=2&q=label%3AVascan).
Step Description 1

Citations

Citation Identifier	doi:10.5886/1bft7W5f
Resource Citation	Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, S.J. Meades, M. Favreau, M. Anions, P. Bélisle & P. Desmet. 2010+. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/. doi:10.5886/1bft7W5f (consulted on date)

Citation Identifier	http://www.mapress.com/phytotaxa/content/2011/f/pt00019p054.pdf
Citation	Christenhusz, M.J.M., X.-C. Zhang & H. Schneider. 2011. A linear sequence of extant families and genera of lycophytes and ferns. Phytotaxa 19: 7-54.

Citation Identifier	http://www.jstor.org/stable/25065646
Citation	Smith, A.R., K.M. Pryer, E. Schuettpelz, P. Korall, H. Schneider & P.G. Wolf. 2006. A classification for extant ferns. Taxon 55: 705-731.

Citation Identifier	http://www.mapress.com/phytotaxa/content/2011/f/pt00019p070.pdf
Citation	Christenhusz, M.J.M., J.L. Reveal, A. Farjon, M.F. Gardner, R.R. Mill & M.W. Chase. 2011. A new classification and linear sequence of extant gymnosperms. Phytotaxa 19: 55-70.

Citation Identifier	http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x
Citation	The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2009. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnaen Society 161: 105-121.

Citation Identifier	http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.01002.x
Citation	Chase, M.W. & J.L. Reveal. 2009. A phylogenetic classification of land plants to accompany APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnaen Society 161 (2): 122-127.

Citation Identifier
Citation	Flora of North America Association. 2008. Flora of North America. http://www.fna.org

Citation Identifier
Citation	Kartesz, J.F. 2011. The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). http://www.bonap.org

Citation Identifier
Citation	USDA, NRCS. 2011. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.

Alternative Identifiers

Base de données des plantes vasculaires du Canada (VASCAN)

Additional Metadata

Hierarchy Level	dataset
Date Published	2010-10-22
Purpose	VASCAN developed from the need to validate data from eastern Canada (Ontario and eastward), Greenland and Saint Pierre and Miquelon for the Flora of North America project (FNA, http://www.fna.org) and from the need to provide French vernacular names for taxa present in Quebec in the FNA. It expanded when Parks Canada wanted to harmonize the names from vascular plant species lists of its parks across the country. At the time we also realized that - aside from the now taxonomically more or less out-of-date flora by Scoggan (1978-1979) - there was not only no standardized scientific name list for the country - despite worthwhile efforts from the Synthesis of the North American Flora (BONAP, http://www.bonap.org) and PLANTS (http://plants.usda.gov) - but also no standardized source of Canadian English and French vernacular names. Several endemic taxa of conservation concern in Canada had been neglected in floras or web-based lists. Names used for plants in English Canada are not necessarily those used in the United States, and thus U.S. sources were not always appropriate for this goal. Finally, several national organizations expressed the need for a web-based list of Canadian taxa, with data on provincial/territorial distribution. The current goal of VASCAN is to provide an up-to-date, documented source of the names of vascular plants in Canada, Greenland, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, both scientific or vernacular. The latter two regions are added because their floras are intimately related to that of Canada and it is useful for Canadians and others to know about them. VASCAN has no pretention to be an official list for these polities. Another source of names for living Canadian organisms is ITIS Canada (http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/itisca), with which we are collaborating closely. Provincial distributions are provided to help Canadians visualize the relationship among the floras of their provinces and territories. VASCAN does not intend to replace regional or provincial lists but to act as a complement to them. Likewise, the taxonomy adopted by VASCAN, while aiming to be as current as possible, does not preclude the use of alternate taxonomic concepts in other floras, though with time it is hoped that we will be able to converge on a single accepted taxonomy, at least at the species level. This is, after all, an avowed international goal. In that respect, VASCAN has adopted the taxonomy published in the Flora of North America (FNA) project, insofar as it accounted for all the taxa considered present in Canada. Progress in taxonomy and phylogeny since the publication of individual FNA volumes, however, means that the taxonomy of VASCAN sometimes differs from it.
IP Rights	http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ & http://www.canadensys.net/norms