The Helianthus, or more commonly known as sunflower, is one of more than 100,000 plants you can learn more about on the U's new Plant Information Online.
Get plant information online
A University-managed database is the largest of its kind in the world
From eNews, October 11, 2007
Plant Information Online is one of the world's largest resources for botanical and horticultural information. It was first published in print form in 1976 and moved to a Web-based format in 1997, with access available only to subscribers. Today, the University of Minnesota Libraries manages the service, and it's available for free to the public.
When you log on to plantinfo.umn.edu, you'll find two search engines that will help you get:
- Current plant and seed sources, with more than 100,000 plants--the largest listing of cultivated plants in North America--from 918 North American firms that will ship the plants to you)
- Contact information and location links for more than 2,000 North American retail and wholesale seed and nursery firms
- Bibliographic details for more than 300,000 images of wild and cultivated plants from around the world in botanical and horticultural books and magazines from 1982 to the present
- Links to expert-selected Web sites on growing plants in all regions of the United States and Canada
Plant Information Online is updated daily, and it also allows you to search a plant by either its common name or scientific name.
Andersen Horticultural Library If you're looking for more literature on plants and plant science, you could also visit the Andersen Horticultural Library, which is part of the University of Minnesota Libraries system. The non-circulating reading and reference library is located at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, and it's the only horticultural research library in the Upper Midwest.