Australian National Herbarium (Program HC)

Australian Plant Census (APC)

Program Leader: Brendan Lepschi

(CSIRO: jq02)

The Australian Plant Census (APC) project builds on the foundation of the Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). APNI lists every name that has been applied to Australian vascular plants in the taxonomic literature, including names of introduced naturalised species. The APC informs users which names are currently recognised and those which are presently regarded as synonyms, along with basic state-level distribution. All decisions of the APC are made with extensive input and consultation from botanists in all major Australian herbaria, making it a truly national, collaborative project.

Unlike previous published plant lists, the APC is a dynamic database, constantly updated as new information is published. In this sense it will never be ‘finished’ but the first pass at a consensus census for all Australian flowering plants is expected by 2009.

The APC is accessible to during its development at: http://www.chah.gov.au/apc/about-APC.html for the families that have so far been treated.

The APC team welcomes corrections or feedback on the project and its constituent data via: cpbr-info@anbg.gov.au

2007 Report

Groups recently reviewed by the Working Group include updates to taxa previously considered (List 45), Primulales and Rosales (List 46, from the unpublished Fl. Australia volume 10 p.p.) and weed taxa that were profiled for the Department of Environment and Water Resources by staff from the CHAH member herbaria (List 47). Current estimate (as at August 2007) is that 232 vascular plant families have been completed (c.80% of Cronquist), including 13,940 accepted species (c.56% of estimated total) and the APC process has accounted for 41,770 names altogether.

Scientific and Technical Staff

TEAM LEADERS

Lepschi, Brendan #

STAFF, HONORARY ASSOCIATES & STUDENTS

Collins, Bronwyn #
Cowley, Kirsten ^
Monro, Anna ^
Slipinska, Ewa ^
Wheeler, Annabel ^
Whitbread, Greg #