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Virtual Flora of El Verde, Puerto Rico

The El Verde Field Station is located on the northeastern slopes of the Luquillo Mountains and is one of the most active ecological research sites in Puerto Rico and the islands of the Caribbean. A good number of projects at the Station have studied different aspects of forest dynamics, all of which require correct identification of plant species. The Virtual Flora of the El Verde Field Station is an interactive resource that contains information on over 614 species of vascular plants that have been reported for the area. The website includes more than 3,100 photographs illustrating useful characteristics for identifying plants in the field, and complete descriptions of over 200 species of trees. The Virtual Flora includes interactive keys (currently only PC-compatible), approximately 1,500 images of herbarium specimens, and a glossary of botanical terms. The Virtual Flora of El Verde constitutes the first phase for a more encompassing virtual flora of the entire El Yunque National Forest and the island of Puerto Rico. The UPRRP Herbarium is a repository of preserved vascular plants, bryophytes, algae and fungi that are available for studies in taxonomy, systematics, natural history, ecology, biogeography, genetics, ethnobotany, and other topics. Not only do we have an excellent representation of the flora of Puerto Rico, we also have numerous specimens from many other islands of the Caribbean Basin. The UPRRP Herbarium is operated by the Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico.