The WTU Image Collection contains the most comprehensive online collection of photographs and information for the plants and lichens of Washington. Developed and maintained by the University of Washington Herbarium (WTU), this site brings together the photographs from numerous photographers and botanists from around the state. Photographs are accompanied by distribution maps, descriptions, synonymy, and additional resources.

Use this site to learn about the plants and lichens found across Washington State's diverse array of landscapes including lush coastal rainforests, dry sagebrush plains, high alpine meadows and much more in between. By our estimate, Washington contains nearly 3,200 species of vascular plants and over 900 species of lichens.

34013 photographs
2548 vascular plant species
128 lichen species

• March 2007: The Image collection has been expanded to include lichens with an intitial set of photographs for 92 lichen species donated by Jim Riley.
• Dec 15, 2006: Use the Winter Tree & Shrub Key to identify trees & shrubs in winter using twig and bud characters.
• July 24, 2006: Use the Image Search feature to directly search for photographs.

The navigation window on the left side of the screen provides access to all the contents of the Image Collection website. Use the main menu to learn more about the image collection or to return to the herbarium's main page. Access to species' photographs, distribution maps, and descriptions is provided in several ways:

• Browse species lists organized by family, genus, scientific name, or common name.
• Try the basic identification key to search for species based on characteristics such as flower color and leaf arrangment.
• Search directly for a species by name.

Learn more about the contents of the Image Collection web site.

The WTU Image Collection provides a great resource to learn more about our states flora. Yet, you can do even more by contributing your own photos or sharing your botanical knowledge with others through this site. There are a variety of ways to help out.

We welcome contributions of good quality photographs for any plants that grow wild in Washington. As the photographer you will retain the full copyright to all photos you contribute. Although digital images are preferred, we can also scan slides or prints conditional upon funding. Registered contributors can also annotate photos in the event any are found to be incorrectly identified.

Contributors can also add to the Image Collection website by writing species descriptions that can include identification tips and interesting facts, selecting the photos that will be displayed, and more. This contribution process can be done over the internet right from your own computer.

Please see our Contributor's page for further instructions. We also welcome financial contributions that would allow further development of the Image collection website.

Development of the WTU Image Collection began in March 2004 with financial support provided in part by the Washington Native Plant Society. In 2007 funding from the Puget Sound Mycological Society and the Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation enabled us to add lichens to the Image Collection.

Distribution Data for the species maps comes from the WA Natural Heritage Program's County Flora Database. Their database, produced for the Bureau of Land Management and the Biota of North America project, represents the most comprehensive distribution data available for vascular plants in Washington State.

Common names and origin (native vs. introduced) are based partly on the WA Flora Checklist website. Additional descriptive data for plant habit, growth form, and common names comes from the USDA Plants website. Bloom period, distribution, and habitat data is based largely on Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 1973 - for those treatments therein that are still valid.

Large contributions of photographs have been made by Clay Antieau, Ben Legler, Richard Old, Jim Riley, Dana Visalli, Bud Kovalchik, H. Tim Gladwin, and G. D. Carr.

The following individuals have contributed behind the scenes: Ken Davis (bloom period data), David Giblin (identification key data), Don Gowing (bloom period data), Don Knoke (distribution and habitat text), Barbara Williams (bloom period data), and Linda Brooking (identification key).

Fundraising by David Giblin. Site development by Ben Legler.