XVI International Botanical Congess
Computerised methods for scoring, managing and presenting descriptive information have most commonly been used by individual workers. Some institutions are adopting descriptive data-basing, where standard character lists are developed using Descriptive Language for Taxonomy (DELTA) methodologies to provide comparable yet versatile descriptions for families, genera and species. At the WA Herbarium two state-wide datasets have been developed: WAGENERA - comprising descriptions of all families and genera, and the WA Flora Catalogue with small standard descriptions for all 12000 species and infraspecies. Databased descriptions can be regularly maintained and the production of interactive keys and descriptions automated. They can then be integrated with related taxonomic datasets into a comprehensive flora information resource on the web, such as Western Australia's FloraBase.