Flora of Virginia

The FLORA OF VIRGINIA PROJECT (www.floraofvirginia.org) presents the complete app for learning about the plants of Virginia, whether a wildflower from a weedy roadside, a shrub from a coastal dune, or a tree from a deep Appalachian hollow. The app does not need an Internet connection to run, so you can use it no matter how remote your wanderings take you.

The FLORA OF VIRGINIA app is based on its predecessor, the FLORA OF VIRGINIA book published by the Flora of Virginia Project in partnership with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The flora was the first comprehensive flora offered for Virginia in exactly 250 years. The app and the book describe nearly 3,200 plant species native to or naturalized in Virginia in nearly 200 families.

The FLORA OF VIRGINIA app combines information from several other ecological data sets with the FLORA’s own data, including moisture regime, light regime, level of invasiveness, state and global rareness rankings, and listings as rare or endangered. Emphasis is on habitats, ecological earmarks of natives. Also appealing, of course, are the app’s portability and update-ability. And a unique, simple Graphic Key! This combination of features makes it a hit with much younger users, especially 6–12 students who might otherwise have their Flora experience limited to a few handouts in the classroom. In addition to the Graphic Key are the full dichotomous keys from the Flora of Virginia book in app form -- it's easy to tap through the choices presented until your plant is found.

App features include:
- Original illustrations and photos aiding in plant identification.
- Range maps for quick reference.
- Ability to filter plants based on user's geo-location.
- Ability to arrange plants by scientific name, common name, genus name, or family name.
- "Plant Discovery and Documentation in Virginia," a guide to the history of botanical exploration in Virginia.
- "The Nature of the Virginia Flora," a section that clarifies the ways in which geology, climate, and biology together create the rich, complex plant life in the state, with fine color photography illustrating key habitat types.
- "Learning the Virginia Flora: 50 Sites for Productive Field Botany," a brief guide to some of Virginia's botanizing hot spots.

The Flora of Virginia Project was initiated in 2001 to steer creation of the first comprehensive reference work on the native and naturalized plants of Virginia. For more information about the Flora of Virginia Project, please visit www.floraofvirginia.org.