A treasure trove of Africa’s plant life is growing online. The African Plant Database now catalogs over 65,000 species of flowering plants, ferns, and conifers across the continent and Madagascar, with about 200 new species added yearly. Created by the Geneva Botanical Garden and South Africa’s biodiversity institute, it unifies data from nearly 1.9 million locations—bringing much-needed order to previously fragmented records. Updated daily, it’s a game-changer for conservation, helping scientists map biodiversity, track climate resilience, and preserve endangered species. A recent update added 3,860 plant species from Burundi—its first complete national listing. Despite political hurdles in some regions, researchers are determined to complete the picture.
The Conversation
