People name and order the world around them out of necessity. Our survival depends on communicating about what is useful and what is harmful. Much of our science is about naming and classifying plants. This type of work is called Taxonomy. Our scientists gather data on plants in order to:
- Identify new plants that need to be named
- Organise plants into groups that reflect how they have evolved
The careful study of our collections results in the production of:
- Technical manuals to the plants of a region or country known as floras
- Guides to identification and plant uses for non-specialists
- Listings of plants in particular areas called Checklists
