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Project: 341/2021
Title: A Complete Description of the Orchids of Australia Online
Applicant: Dr Endymion Cooper, Dr Heidi Zimmer
Institution: Addresses: EC: Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), Parks Australia Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, GPO Box 858, Canberra
HZ: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, AustralianNational Herbarium (ANH), GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601
This project will make available, for the first time, a complete description and taxonomic treatment of Australia’s native orchid flora (~1698 taxa) on the online Flora of Australia platform (www.ausflora.org.au). This project is a partnership between botanist David Jones, the Australian Biological Resources Study and the Australian National Herbarium, Canberra. Together, we are creating a single, easily accessible (free) and authoritative online source for Australian orchid information. This project will have far-reaching impacts, including significantly increasing the accessibility of Australian orchid knowledge using online, open-access delivery; sharing knowledge about Australia’s outstanding orchid diversity with an expanded audience; and enabling collaboration in orchid research, conservation and appreciation across interest groups and state borders.
In January 2021, David Jones, with the support of the Australian Orchid Foundation, published ‘A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia’. Undeniably an incredible achievement, this book is the product of a life devoted to orchid taxonomy and research. The descriptions contained within this publication will provide the foundation for the Orchidaceae on the online Flora of Australia. Flora of Australia is an open-access online platform, which provides the authoritative synthesis of Australia’s plant biodiversity, including information on names, characteristics, distribution and habitat of Australian plants. We will develop descriptive profiles for all described Australian orchid species, which can easily be updated in the future as new research is published.
