Occurrence Records of Bryopsida, Cycadopsida, Liliopsida, Magnoliopsida and Polypodiopsida specimens from the National Herbarium of Tanzania.

Study Extent

Tanzania and Zanzibar

Sampling

The call for capacity enhancement focused on the priority species for sustainable utilization of biodiversity. Therefore specimens of threatened, endemic and economically important were identifies, scrutinized for taxonomic and georeferencing information correctiveness.

Quality Control

The dataset went through a rigorous assessment to meet Darwin Core Data Standard. Taxonomic and georeferencing information were corrected by the aid of GBIF validator https://www.gbif.org/tools/data-validator and species matching https://www.gbif.org/tools/species-lookup, Flora of Tropical East Africa book, and geo-locate https://www.geo-locate.org/web/default.html.

Method steps

1. This dataset of the 3141 herbarium sheets of threatened, endemic and economically important species was developed through the following steps: 1. 3190 Specimens were selected from the National Herbarium of Tanzania (NHT) and were Bar-coded. 2. Geo-referencing of specimen records missing grid references was done using an external gazetteer. 3. The NHT specimens' label information was digitized using Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System (BRAHMS), a computer program used worldwide to manage Herbaria collections. 4. Data from Brahams were downloaded into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets using Darwin-Core format. 5. Data cleaning and validation were carried out using GBIF validator https://www.gbif.org/tools/data-validator and species matching https://www.gbif.org/tools/species-lookup, Flora of Tropical East Africa book, and geo-locate https://www.geo-locate.org/web/default.html. 6. Forty nine unresolved records were set aside for further review. 7. Darwin Core Archive Assistant http://tools.gbif.org/dwca-assistant/ was used to produces the XML descriptor file ("meta.xml")

This dataset consists of 3141 occurrence records of plant specimens of 560 species within five classes: Magnoliopsida (2085), Liliopsida (985), Polypodiopsida (66), Bryopsida (4) and Cycadopsida (1). It is grouped into 35 orders, 88 families, 272 genera and species 560. The most represented families are Orchidaceae with 608 records, followed by Rubiaceae with 536 and Fabaceae with 200 records. The class Magnoliopsida is composed of 28 orders:

1. Apiales
   common name: Umbellifers (Carrots, Ivies, and Allies) rank: order
2. Aquifoliales
   common name: Ginseng (Hollies and Allies) rank: order
3. Asterales
   common name: Sunflowers, Bellflowers, Fanflowers, and Allies rank: order
4. Brassicales
   common name: Mustards, Capers, and Allies rank: order
5. Canellales
   common name: Canellas rank: order
6. Caryophyllales
   common name: Cactuses, Pinks and Allies rank: order
7. Celastrales
   common name: Staff-vines and Allies rank: order
8. Ceratophyllales
   common name: Coontails or Hornworts rank: order
9. Cucurbitales
   common name: Begonias, Gourds, and Allies rank: order
10. Ericales
    common name: Heathers, Balsams, Primroses, and Allies rank: order
11. Fabales
    common name: Legumes, Milkworts, and Allies rank: order
12. Gentianales
    common name: Gentians, Dogbanes, Madders, and Allies rank: order
13. Lamiales
    common name: Mints, Plantains, Olives, and Allies rank: order
14. Laurales
    common name: Laurels, Spicebushes, and Allies rank: order
15. Metteniusales
    common name: Metteniusas and Allies rank: order
16. Myrtales
    common name: Myrtles, Evening Primroses, and Allies rank: order
17. Proteales
    common name: Proteas, Lotuses, Planes, and Allies rank: order
18. Magnoliales
    common name: Magnolias, Nutmegs, and Allies rank: order
19. Malpighiales
    common name: Nances, Willows, and Allies rank: order
20. Malvales
    common name: Mallows, Rock-roses, and Allies rank: order
21. Oxalidales
    common name: Woodsorrels, Quandongs, and Allies rank: order
22. Proteales
    common name: Proteas, Lotuses, Planes, and Allies rank: order
23. Ranunculales
    common name: Buttercups, Poppies, and Allies rank: order
24. Rosales
    common name: Roses, Elms, Figs, and Allies rank: order
25. Santalales
    common name: Sandalwoods, Mistletoes, and Allies rank: order
26. Sapindales
    common name: Soapberries, Cashews, Mahoganies, and Allies rank: order
27. Saxifragales
    common name: Saxifrages, Stonecrops, and Allies rank: order
28. Solanales
    common name: Nightshades, Bindweeds, Gooseweeds, and Allies rank: order
29. Vitales
    common name: Grapes and Allies rank: order

The class Liliopsida is represented by six orders:

1. Asparagales
   common name: Agaves, Orchids, Irises, and Allies rank: order
2. Commelinales
   common name: Spiderworts and Allies rank: order
3. Dioscoreales
   common name: Yams, Colicroots, and Allies rank: order
4. Pandanales
   common name: Screwpines, Stemona, and Allies rank: order
5. Poales
   common name: Grasses, Sedges, Cattails, and Allies rank: order
6. Zingiberales
   common name: Gingers, Bananas, and Allies rank: order

The class Polypodiopsida is represented by a single order, Polypodiales with six families:

1. Aspleniaceae
   common name: Spleenwort rank: family
2. Athyriaceae
   common name: Ladyferns and Allies rank: family
3. Cystopteridaceae
   common name: Fern rank: family
4. Dryopteridaceae
   common name: Shieldfern rank: family
5. Pteridaceae
   common name: Brake rank: family
6. Tectariaceae
   common name: Tectaria rank: family

The dataset has one order of Cycadopsida, the Cycadales with a single family:

1. Zamiaceae
   common name: palm or fern-like cycads rank: family

The bryopsida has single order, polytrichales with a single family polytrichaceae and a single genus:

1. Polytrichum
   common name: Haircap Mosses rank: genus

Specimens records of this dataset of Bryopsida, Cycadopsida, Liliopsida, Magnoliopsida and Polypodiopsida were collected from ten (10) regions of the Flora of Tropical East Africa, namely T (lake zone), T2 (northern zone), T3 (Tanga), T4 (western zone), T5 (central zone), T6 (Eastern zone), T7 (Southern highlands), T8 (Southern zone), Z (Zanzibar) and P (Pemba). The dataset consists of records of Cyperus tenax Boeckeler, Euphorbia nyikae Pax ex Engl., Lannea schweinfurthii (Engl.) Engl., Mildbraedia carpinifolia (Pax) Hutch., Olea europaea L., Tricalysia microphylla Hiern, Tridactyle bicaudata (Lindl.) Schltr collected from Unguja and Pemba Islands in Zanzibar.