High Country Apps
FLORA OF VIRGINIA
A guide to over 3100 wildflowers, shrubs, ferns, grasses, and trees of Virginia. The full contents of the print Flora in your pocket! Partner: Flora of Virginia Project. ($19.99)
The Flora of Virginia app contains everything people love from the book, and even more. It combines information from several other ecological data sets with the FLORA’s own data, including moisture regime, light regime, level of invasiveness, state and global rareness rankings, and listings as rare or endangered. Emphasis is on habitats, ecological earmarks of natives. Also appealing, of course, are the app’s portability and update-ability. And a unique, simple Graphic Key! This combination of features makes it a hit with much younger users, especially 6–12 students who might otherwise have their Flora experience limited to a few handouts in the classroom.
Additional app features include:
- Original illustrations and photos aiding in plant identification.
- Range maps for quick reference.
- Ability to filter plants based on user's geo-location.
- Ability to arrange plants by scientific name, common name, genus name, or family name.
- "Plant Discovery and Documentation in Virginia," a guide to the history of botanical exploration in Virginia.
- "The Nature of the Virginia Flora," a section that clarifies the ways in which geology, climate, and biology together create the rich, complex plant life in the state, with fine color photography illustrating key habitat types.
- "Learning the Virginia Flora: 50 Sites for Productive Field Botany," a brief guide to some of Virginia's botanizing hot spots.
The Flora of Virginia Project was initiated in 2001 to steer creation of the first comprehensive reference work on the native and naturalized plants of Virginia. For more information about the Flora of Virginia Project, please visit www.floraofvirginia.org.
Press Reviews
Pop-up definitions in Flora of Virginia app! -- "I always forget what cauline means! In plant descriptions and the dichotomous keys, words from the Flora glossary are now hyperlinked (left) to their glossary entry. Tap a blue word, and its definition pops up (right). Example: the key for Spring Beauty." read more...
Florascope, Occasional News from the Flora of Virginia Project, December 30, 2022
20 Smartphone Apps for Plant Lovers "Not sure what this flower is? Your smartphone may know. Thanks to the latest apps, identifying flowers, trees, and other plants has gotten easier. Flora of Virginia is a reliable, comprehensive guide to 3,200 plant species native to or naturalized in the state of Virginia. " read more...
Jill Spencer, Den Garden - May 10, 2019
Use Flora App to plan your native garden "Did you know you could use the Flora of Virginia Mobile App to pick plants that suit your yard, garden, or other site?" read more on page 9...
Sempervirens - The Quarterly of the Virginia Native Plant Society, Summer 2018
A Guide to the Flora of Virginia ... Right in Your Back Pocket "Outdoor hikes and excursions in Virginia provide acres of lush greenery and always guarantee eye-opening botanical experiences. But have you ever stopped to admire a piece of vegetation...?" read more...
Rachel Marsh, Boomer Magazine, June 19, 2018
What You Need To Know About The Virginia Flora Mobile App at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden "Need a little incentive to purchase and/or start using the Virginia Flora Mobile App? Come to the March 1st meeting of the Pocahontas Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society and learn all about the App from the Flora of Virginia Executive Director, Bland Crowder. The App features just about everything from the print Flora, as well as the new Graphic Key and a lot of new features, like photos and range maps. As expertise grows, botanists learn to leap to just the right point in the dichotomous keys. And you can fit all that information in your pocket." read more...
Science Matters, March 1, 2018
The New Flora of Virginia Mobile App -- "Last spring, while perusing the Winter 2017 issue of Sempervirens, the quarterly publication of the Virginia Native Plant Society, I came across a short article announcing plans for a mobile app version of the Flora of Virginia." read more...
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, November 13, 2017
Hey, there's an app for that native plant -- "Good news for native plant lovers. The Flora of Virginia app is out for both Android and iOS devices. If you have used the 'Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora' to help identify natives, you know how easy it is to use, and you probably have been wishing for a phone app to use in the field." read more...
Virginia Pilot, By Mary Reid Barrow, November 4, 2017
Flora of Virginia App Demonstration -- "Good news for native plant lovers. The Flora of Virginia app is out for both Android and iOS devices." read more...
Daily Press, By Catherine Flanagan, November 3, 2017
Get to Know the New Flora of Virginia Mobile App (Webinar) Presenter: Bland Crowder, Executive Director, Flora of Virginia Project read more...
Virginia Master Naturalists, October 19, 2017
The App’s Out! -- "The Flora of Virginia Mobile App has been released." read more...
Florascape - News from the Flora of Virginia Project, October 2, 2017
Prototype of Flora Mobile App Will Soon Be Ready for Testing "The Mobile App will run on smart phones and tablets and will include all the 3,164 species covered in the Flora." read more on page 11...
Sempervirens - The Quarterly of the Virginia Native Plant Society, Winter 2017
User Reviews
"Wow!" *****
"I have 30 some years of working with plants in the field, and this app comes along and has it all at your fingertips. Truly amazing."
by heroqltevzw - Flora of Virginia (Android), November 8, 2017
"A lot of content" *****
"This app may seem expensive but it is worth every penny and more. I've been able to key out several plants with this app that I have previously failed to identify with my various guides. Plus the info on plant families, genera, and species is well organized and has beautiful photos. I was eagerly awaiting this app and it did not disappoint."
by Shannon - Flora of Virginia (iOS), October 6, 2017
"Thanks!" *****
"Can't wait to try it out in the field. Thanks vnps for the hard work."
by altev2 - Flora of Virginia (Android), October 2, 2017