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Plants fields

When you query a species (or a plant), you will have a lot of fields to dig into. This is a simplified version of the reference that tries to explain a bit what each fields represents.

In doubt, refer to the reference

This documentation is way lighter than the reference, and do not show all the fields. If you have any doubt, please check the reference.

Species

fielddescription
id (integer)An unique identifier
common_name (string)The usual common name, in english, of the species (if any).
slug (string)An unique human-readable identifier (if you can, prefer to use this over id)
scientific_name (string)The scientific name follows the Binomial nomenclature, and represents its genus and its species within the genus, resulting in a single worldwide name for each organism. The scientific name of an infraspecific taxons (ranks below species, such as subspecies, forms, varieties...) is a combination of the name of a species and an infraspecific epithet. A connecting term is used to denote the rank. See IAPT recommendation
year (integer)The first publication year of a valid name of this species. See author citation
bibliography (string)The first publication of a valid name of this species. See author citation
author (string)The author(s) of the first publication of a valid name of this species. See author citation
status (string)The acceptance status of this species by IPNI
Can be: accepted and unknown.
rank (string)The taxonomic rank of the species
Can be: species, ssp, var, form, hybrid, and subvar.
family_common_name (string)The common name (in english) of the species family
family (string)The scientific name of the species family
genus_id (integer)The id of the species genus
genus (string)The scientific name of the species genus
image_url (string)A main image url of the species
duration (array of strings)The plant duration(s), which can be:
- Annual: plants that live, reproduce, and die in one growing season.
- Biennial: plants that need two growing seasons to complete their life cycle, normally completing vegetative growth the first year and flowering the second year.
- Perennial: plants that live for more than two years, with the shoot system dying back to soil level each year.
edible_part (array of strings)The plant edible part(s), if any.
edible (boolean)Is the species edible?
vegetable (boolean)Is the species a vegetable?
observations (string)Some habit observations on the species
common_names (object)Common names of the species per language
distribution (object)(Deprecated) Distribution of the species per establishment
synonyms (array of objects)The symonyms scientific names and authors
sources (array of objects)The symonyms scientific names and authors
extras ()

API endpoints to related resources

fielddescription
self (string)API endpoint to the species itself
genus (string)API endpoint to the species genus
plant (string)API endpoint to the species plant

images

fielddescription
flower (array of objects)Image(s) of the species flower
leaf (array of objects)Image(s) of the species leaf
habit (array of objects)Image(s) of the species habit
fruit (array of objects)Image(s) of the species fruit
bark (array of objects)Image(s) of the species bark
other (array of objects)Image(s) of the species other

distributions

Distribution of the species per establishment

fielddescription
native (array of objects)Zones the species is native from
introduced (array of objects)Zones the species has been introduced
doubtful (array of objects)Zones the species presence is doubtful
absent (array of objects)Zones the species is absent and has been wrongly recorded
extinct (array of objects)Zones the species is extinct

flower

Flower related fields (the reproductive structure found in flowering plants)

fielddescription
color (array of strings)The flower color(s)
conspicuous (boolean)Is the flower visible?

foliage

Foliage (or leaves) related fields

fielddescription
texture (string)The general texture of the plant’s foliage
Can be: fine, medium, and coarse.
color (array of strings)The leaves color(s)
leaf_retention (boolean)Does the leaves stay all year long?

fruit_or_seed

Fruit or seed related fields

fielddescription
conspicuous (boolean)Is the fruit visible?
color (array of strings)The fruit color(s)
shape (string)Fruit shape
seed_persistence (boolean)Are the fruit or seed generally recognized as being persistent on the plant?

specifications

Species's main characteristics

fielddescription
ligneous_type (string)The ligneous type of the woody plant
Can be: liana, subshrub, shrub, tree, and parasite.
growth_form (string)The primary growth form on the landscape in relation to soil stabilization on slopes and streamsides? Each plant species is assigned the single growth form that most enhances its ability to stabilize soil
growth_habit (string)The general appearance, growth form, or architecture of the plant
growth_rate (string)The relative growth speed of the plant
average_height (object)The average height of the species, in centimeters
maximum_height (object)The maximum height of the species, in centimeters
nitrogen_fixation (string)Capability to fix nitrogen in monoculture
shape_and_orientation (string)The predominant shape of the species
toxicity (string)Relative toxicity of the species for humans or animals
Can be: none, low, medium, and high.

growth

Growing of farming related fields

fielddescription
days_to_harvest (number)The average numbers of days required to from planting to harvest
description (string)A description on how the plant usually grows
sowing (string)A description on how to sow the plant
ph_maximum (number)The maximum acceptable soil pH (of the top 30 centimeters of soil) for the plant
ph_minimum (number)The minimum acceptable soil pH (of the top 30 centimeters of soil) for the plant
light (integer)Required amount of light, on a scale from 0 (no light, <= 10 lux) to 10 (very intensive insolation, >= 100 000 lux)
atmospheric_humidity (integer)Required relative humidity in the air, on a scale from 0 (<=10%) to 10 (>= 90%)
growth_months (array of strings)The most active growth months of the species (usually all year round for perennial plants)
bloom_months (array of strings)The months the species usually blooms
fruit_months (array of strings)The months the species usually produces fruits
row_spacing (object)The minimum spacing between each rows of plants, in centimeters
spread (object)The average spreading of the plant, in centimeters
minimum_precipitation (object)Minimum precipitation per year, in milimeters per year
maximum_precipitation (object)Maximum precipitation per year, in milimeters per year
minimum_root_depth (object)Minimum depth of soil required for the species, in centimeters. Plants that do not have roots such as rootless aquatic plants have 0
minimum_temperature (object)The minimum tolerable temperature for the species. In celsius or fahrenheit degrees
maximum_temperature (object)The maximum tolerable temperature for the species. In celsius or fahrenheit degrees
soil_nutriments (integer)Required quantity of nutriments in the soil, on a scale from 0 (oligotrophic) to 10 (hypereutrophic)
soil_salinity (integer)Tolerance to salinity, on a scale from 0 (untolerant) to 10 (hyperhaline)
soil_texture (integer)Required texture of the soil, on a scale from 0 (clay) to 10 (rock)
soil_humidity (integer)Required humidity of the soil, on a scale from 0 (xerophile) to 10 (subaquatic)

synonyms[]

fielddescription
id (integer)An unique identifier
name (string)The scientific name of the symonym
author (string)The author of the symonym

sources[]

fielddescription
id (string)An unique identifier from the source
name (string)The name of the source
citation (string)How to cite the source
url (string)The link on the source website, or the publication reference
last_update (string)The last time the source was checked