About E-Flora BC

ABOUT THE E-FLORA ATLAS PAGES AND MAPS

Maiden Pink (Dianthus deltoides), photo by Virginia Skilton

1. The Atlas Pages

The E-Flora atlas pages provide you with a comprehensive page of information on each plant, fungi and lichen species found in BC, where information is available. Presently, we provide coverage for all vascular plants and all currently listed macro-fungi.  Partial coverage is provided for mosses, lichens, and algae (seaweeds).

Each atlas page includes photos and illustrations, maps, and detailed information on a species' habitat, ecology and conservation status. Each page also includes "deep" links (species-specific links) to important related databases on the web that provide further information on taxonomy, nomenclature, range information, site indicators, poison status, invasives status and more. For more than 3000 vascular plant species, we include a comprehensive Ecological Framework that gives you detailed information on the range of growing conditions for that species.

Click on the links below to visit sample atlas pages:

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) (Fungi)
Plains Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia polycantha) (Vascular Plants)
Red Sea-leaf (Erythrophyllum delesserioides) (Seaweeds)
Glow Moss (Aulacomnium palustre) (Mosses)

Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia fragilis), photo by Brian Klinkenberg

The E-Flora BC atlas pages are dynamic, which means that they do not actually exist. They are a product of our computers extacting information from several databases when a search is requested, and then displaying that information in a pre-programmed template for each species group. Whenever the databases are updated by our data providers, then the information in the atlas pages is automatically updated.

2. The Maps

E-Flora BC uses both static maps (the map displayed on the atlas page) and dynamic interactive GIS maps (accessed by clicking on the static map).  Static maps are fixed maps displaying information from a particular moment in time.  Interactive GIS maps are dynamically produced at the moment of search from our databases. They use data layers that allow placement of biogeographic information over distribution information and display of individual data layers. 

Our static and interactive maps are based on all available databases.  For vascular plants, this includes both collections-based (herbarium databases) and observation-based (the BEC database) databases. Collections-based databases are scientifically valid databases that are based on specimen records that can be verified.  These produce more reliable distribution information. The observation-based BEC database is included here for vascular plants because it represents a substantial amount of plot-based data that covers many species. 10% of this database is based on specimens.  Validity of distribution information in the BEC database is highest with common, easy to recognize species.

Our static maps are color coded so that databases may be visually separated.  Our interactive GIS maps use data layers that allow, for example, for display of collections-based data only.  For serious botanical investigations and accurate distribution information, we recommend working with the interactive maps, and, ultimately, the specimens themselves so records can be verified.  Note that the static maps for mosses were prepared by Wilf Schofield, and are research based maps based on individually verified specimens.

Metadata for our maps is linked to from each atlas page.

The interactive maps also allow you to explore the biogeographic factors behind species distribution by turning on information layers and exploring correlations. Available layers include information in several categories, including:

• Climate mapping (including temperature, frost free days, future climate, and more);
• Ecological zones, incuding BEC zones and ecoregions;
• Geology and physiography
• protected areas, including national and provincial parks (which allow you to see if populations of a species occur in protected sites).