by Guest Contributor
Jennifer Ogle, University of Arkansas Herbarium
The Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas, published by the University of Arkansas Herbarium in 2013 as a 709-page softcover book, is now available for free in a new digital format.
The Atlas is the culmination of 13 years of work by the Arkansas Vascular Flora Committee. Though published nearly 10 years ago, it remains the most complete accounting of the county-level distribution of the state’s native and non-native vascular plants. To determine each plant’s distribution, members of the committee compiled data from nearly 200 years of study of the state’s flora, examining hundreds of thousands of herbarium specimens, poring over peer-reviewed research papers, and reviewing accounts of early explorations of the state.
Some of the maps include information on the plant’s special status, using numerical codes to indicate if it is non-native, non-native invasive, endemic, and/or of special conservation concern in the state. Maps without codes indicate the plant is native and common in the state. Introductory chapters include a general history of botanical exploration in Arkansas, an overview of the state’s geology, information on how physical factors determine the distribution of Arkansas’s native plants, and a summary of the state’s known flora.
This important desk reference for the plants of Arkansas has been out of print for several years, yet the editors still receive requests for it from botanists and ecologists working in Arkansas and beyond. Thus, they recently decided to make it available online as a free, downloadable PDF.
One of the benefits of providing the book in a digital format is the text is searchable using a simple find function, which makes locating information easier than leafing through such a large book. A digital version also fits into a backpack more readily than the printed one, as it can be downloaded to a smartphone or tablet for use in the field.
Two file sizes of the PDF have been produced: a full-size file version (22.3 MG), best for printing or viewing on a desktop or laptop computer, a reduced file-size version (12.4 MB), more suitable for viewing on a smartphone or tablet. The editors
Jennifer Ogle, University of Arkansas Herbarium
The Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas, published by the University of Arkansas Herbarium in 2013 as a 709-page softcover book, is now available for free in a new digital format.The Atlas is the culmination of 13 years of work by the Arkansas Vascular Flora Committee. Though published nearly 10 years ago, it remains the most complete accounting of the county-level distribution of the state’s native and non-native vascular plants. To determine each plant’s distribution, members of the committee compiled data from nearly 200 years of study of the state’s flora, examining hundreds of thousands of herbarium specimens, poring over peer-reviewed research papers, and reviewing accounts of early explorations of the state.
Some of the maps include information on the plant’s special status, using numerical codes to indicate if it is non-native, non-native invasive, endemic, and/or of special conservation concern in the state. Maps without codes indicate the plant is native and common in the state. Introductory chapters include a general history of botanical exploration in Arkansas, an overview of the state’s geology, information on how physical factors determine the distribution of Arkansas’s native plants, and a summary of the state’s known flora.This important desk reference for the plants of Arkansas has been out of print for several years, yet the editors still receive requests for it from botanists and ecologists working in Arkansas and beyond. Thus, they recently decided to make it available online as a free, downloadable PDF.
One of the benefits of providing the book in a digital format is the text is searchable using a simple find function, which makes locating information easier than leafing through such a large book. A digital version also fits into a backpack more readily than the printed one, as it can be downloaded to a smartphone or tablet for use in the field.Two file sizes of the PDF have been produced: a full-size file version (22.3 MG), best for printing or viewing on a desktop or laptop computer, a reduced file-size version (12.4 MB), more suitable for viewing on a smartphone or tablet. The editors
of the Atlas have made both files available on the websites of the University of Arkansas Herbarium and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.
Photos:
Photo 1 and Main Photo — Image of the cover of the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas.
Photo 2 — A sample page of maps from the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas.
Photo 3 — A sample page from the Introduction of the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas.