The Plants database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, plant links, references, crop information, and automated tools.

"This database provides a wealth of information about plants growing in the United States. All types of plants are covered, from noxious weeds to ornamental flowers and food crops. It is aimed at state agricultural agencies, plant researchers, students, and the general public. Users can search the database by common name, scientific name, or symbol, and uncover results that include one of 16,000 high resolution images, species abstracts, growth distribution data and maps, crop information, plants symbols, plant growth data, a plant guide in PDF and word formats (if available), as well as a list of print resources for further information. A number of Culturally Significant Plant Guides were prepared with the cooperation of Native American tribal groups actively using plants in everyday living. The site also highlights a 'Plant of the Week', and links to off-site resources such as the Flora of North America (http://www.fna.org/FNA/)and the ITIS Biota Checklist (http://www.itis.usda.gov/index.html). The site loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and includes a section on how to cite the PLANTS Database. This is a comprehensive resource for finding information about plants in the United States." -- Reviewed March 20, 2004 "Best Free Reference Web Sites 2004," RUSA Quarterly, Fall 2004. Comp. by the MARS Best Free Websites Committee, RUSA, ALA. (http://www.itis.usda.gov/index.html ). The site loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and includes a section on how to cite the PLANTS Database. This is a comprehensive resource for finding information about plants in the United States.γ -- Reviewed March 20, 2004 "Best Free Reference Web Sites 2004," RUSA Quarterly, Fall 2004. Comp. by the MARS Best Free Websites Committee, RUSA, ALA.