Research Projects:
SOUTHEAST RARE PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK (SERPIN): A DIGITAL NETWORK FOR PLANT CONSERVATION
Conserving rare plants in the southeastern United States requires a concerted, creative, and coordinated effort. The Southeast Rare Plant Information Network (SERPIN) is designed to aid and promote such teamwork. Created by a partnership of institutions in the region, SERPIN aims to make large and small museum and library collections more easily available to researchers, teachers, students, land managers, and the public in the Southeast and worldwide.
SERPIN is meant to be more than a roadmap to existing Internet resources. It also puts data, literature, and technical experts just a mouse click away. You will find: (1) bibliographies and digitized documents; (2) collections information from botanical gardens, nature centers, herbaria, and conservation organizations; and (3) contact information for people and institutions in the region.
The database currently includes rare plant information for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and north and central Florida. These states share similar topography (with Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Mountain regions), climates, and floras. Over time we hope to expand the geographic scope of SERPIN to serve more states in the region.
Much of that new information will come from you. If you work with rare plants in the Southeast, please add information concerning your collections or expertise to the SERPIN database. You can do this online by following the links on the SERPIN homepage.
Initial funding for SERPIN was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the University of Georgia. If you have questions or comments about the project, or if you would like assistance entering information to the database, please contact us at contact@serpin.org.