THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FLORISTIC DATABASE

Summary Several substantial databases exist for monographic data but little progress has been made towards floristic databases. For the latter, a scheme for comparable description of diverse taxa is needed. The creation and use of such a scheme is described here, with a pilot database constructed from representatives of the families in the flora of Great Britain. It is possible for data on taxa to be collected efficiently using a questionnaire program, hence avoiding the problem of having to search long lists of characters from which only a few can be recorded. It appears that the approach is practical and may lead to a new kind of standard for taxonomic descriptions.