Palmweb is an on-line palm encyclopaedia. It contains information on all ca. 2,400 species and 183 genera of palms that has been gleaned primarily from taxonomic publications. It is structured around a checklist of palm names (including synonyms) provided by the World Checklist of Monocotyledons at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. You will find a page (taxon page) for every genus and species of palm in Palmweb.

Explore Palmweb.

To access a taxon page, browse the taxon tree on the left side of the screen or search a name. There is a simple search to look for scientific names only and an advanced search with options to search by name (scientific, common, accepted, synonym) and/or by geographical region. The tree shows only the currently accepted names, but it is possible to find synonyms using the search function which is also on the left side of the screen.

What will you find?

Palmweb includes:

1. the current nomenclature and synonymy of palms
2. morphological descriptions for over 25% of palm species and 100% of genera, with additional information where available on biology, ecology, conservation, uses, common names, specimen citations and other topics.
3. distribution maps for all genera and species to TDWG (Taxonomic Database Working Group) level 3
4. images for almost 850 species a glossary of palm terms, bibliography and, in 2010, interactive identification keys.
5. original places of publication for around 1200 accepted names
6. quick search tools for exploring other databases such as Flickr, Google Images, Genbank, GBIF and the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
7. The focus is on taxa that are currently accepted although protologues for synonyms are also available.

Some technical details.

The database underlying Palmweb follows a data model called Common Data Model (CDM) created by EDIT developers at the Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum in Berlin. This database and the portal that delivers its content are part of the Platform for Cybertaxonomy, a set of tools designed to aid taxonomist in doing their research. Click on the links for more information about the CDM and the Cyberplatform.