Oregon Vascular Plant Checklist

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 Introduction
    The main function of the Oregon Vascular Checklist will be to provide a taxonomic framework for Oregon plants. Decisions on the delimitation of species, subspecies, and varieties will be reflected in the list. For example, differences between treatments in the Flora of the Pacific Northwest and The Jepson Manual (the new reference for the California flora) are being evaluated along with other sources of information, and decisions will be made on which names to accept. New information is also taken from biosystematic, floristic, and evolutionary studies and considered in preparing the list of accepted names. Synonyms (mostly names accepted in earlier floras but no longer applied) will be listed after currently accepted names. Synonyms from our standard references, which are six floras covering parts or all of Oregon or adjacent states, are included.The most widely used common names are given in the Checklist and, where possible, native or non-native status is indicated. For plants not listed in our set of standard references, literature citations are provided to guide users to additional sources of information.
    The Checklist is maintained in a Microsoft Access database in the Oregon State University Herbarium. As of March 2005, we have compiled and confirmed a list of 4,516 taxa. The draft checklist is under review by taxonomic specialists participating in the project. As major components are completed, they are posted in a searchable format on the OFP website. The Checklist of the Asteraceae (sunflower family) portion was also published in booklet form (2000, 2nd edition).

Goals for the Checklist
    The Oregon Vascular Plant Checklist serves as the foundation of the OFP by providing a nomenclatural framework for use in the atlas, photo gallery, and flora. When completed, the checklist will include all native and exotic species, subspecies, and varieties (taxa) confirmed to grow in Oregon without cultivation, either currently or historically. The checklist also gives synonyms, or alternate scientific names.
     The Checklist will be much more than just a list of names. It will be a tool that will help people make better use of existing floras and guide them to additional information in the literature, and it is an important step toward the eventual publication of a new Flora of Oregon.

The people involved
    The participants in the Checklist Project include a coordinator, a group of nine project leaders, an Advisory Board composed of professional and amateur botanists from throughout the state, invited contributors, student assistants, and volunteers. The project leaders are responsible for producing and editing the checklist. The Advisory Board supports the project in a variety of ways; the most critical of these is to review portions of the Checklist as advanced drafts are completed. Outside contributors are invited to edit lists for certain families. Student assistants help with text entry, mailouts, filing literature references, searching for additions to the Checklist in the herbarium, and other support activities. Volunteers have helped with a variety of tasks, including literature reviews, herbarium specimen analysis, and comparison of the Checklist and treatments in floras. The Checklist Project is sponsored by the Oregon State University Herbarium in Corvallis and has received grant support from the Native Plant Society of Oregon (NPSO) and donations from individuals. The project is almost entirely a volunteer effort.

How can I help?
If you are interested in helping on the Checklist Project, contact:

Dr. Linda Hardison Oregon Flora Project Department of Botany & Plant Pathology Oregon State University/ 2082 Cordley Hall Corvallis, OR 97331 (541) 737-4338 hardisol@science.oregonstate.edu

We now have an on-line version of the Oregon Vascular Plant Checklist Contributors Guide available.