Botanical identity
Find the plant you actually mean
Search more than 1.4 million scientific names and synonyms from Kew, or start with a familiar name such as goldenrod. The Atlas helps settle identity before we connect a plant to research.
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A catalog entry is a botanical identity record. It is not evidence that a plant or preparation is effective, safe, or right for anyone. Health connections live in the separately reviewed Research Explorer. Photos show sourced observations, not proof that a plant has been identified correctly in the wild.
Open the Research ExplorerEnter a scientific name or one of the reviewed common names.
What is included
A large reference shelf, kept separate from medical claims
The Atlas includes accepted names, synonyms, plant families, ranks, authorship, taxonomic status, stable WCVP identifiers, and links back to Kew's source records. Common-name searches use GBIF to find possible species, then keep only candidates that resolve back to a Kew name. A broad name such as goldenrod can lead to many plants, and the Atlas shows that ambiguity instead of quietly choosing one.
Sources and pictures
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Current Atlas snapshot: June 4, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
Common-name matches and observation photos come from GBIF. Photos appear only when the record supplies a supported Creative Commons license, creator, and source link.
If the Kew index does not recognize your search exactly, your search words are sent to GBIF. Photo files load from the contributing image publisher.
About Kew's plant data