This tool can be used to identify disseminules (mostly seeds and fruits) of all the plants on the Federal Noxious Weed List. Richly illustrated with images and drawings, and including descriptive and background information, this tool helps users recognize and verify these invasive and potentially invasive agricultural and environmental worldwide weeds.

This new second edition of Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. includes the 11 new taxa that have been added to the Federal Noxious Weed List since Edition 1 was released in 2005. The tool has been given a new look and improved in several ways:

• new and simplified key features make the keys easier to use
• a "Key to Keys" assists users in choosing the correct key
• high qualilty images illustrate the new FNW taxa
• new pages provide instructional information about disseminule types and about Fabaceae and Poaceae family recognition

Compact discs of Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S., Edition 2 are planned for 2011.

For further information, contact:

Published by: USDA-APHIS-PPQ- CPHST

Release date:April, 2010

What is the Pasture Selection Tool?

The Pasture Selection Tool is a powerful tool for selecting pasture species suitable for your local conditions. It is a comprehensive guide to pasture species for anyone with an interest in animal production and research.

The Pasture Selection Tool gives you the ability to:

• identify pasture species suitable for your climate, soils, production system and management by using a selection tool based on the identification software called LUCID™.
• access up to date information on these species with information on use, adaptation, and management of the pasture species and currently available cultivars.
• view images of the plants and their use.

Server-side Player

The Pastures Australia 'Pasture Selection Tool' uses the latest Lucid™ server-side player technology. This enables you to use the selection tool without having to download any software to perform a pasture selection. This technology saves your Internet bandwidth but also saves you from downloading and installing confusing installation packages, All you need is an Internet browser. 

Server-side Lucid™ player More information

This identification tool aids in the identification of the bark beetle (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) genera of North America north of Mexico. It was designed with the continental USA ports of entry inspectors in mind.  The scope level allows a single key on the tool, which treats the 78 established genera in the region. The tool contains factsheets with diagnostic, description, distribution and host data information of each genus with corresponding images, to assist users of all levels of expertise.  On the key the users are able to choose from a set of characters in either a suggested or free order, suited to their particular needs.  Several sections on the tool provide the users with additional information and references to help them correctly identify genera in this difficult and important group of wood boring beetles.

In the southern African Asteraceae flora the genus Helichrysum is the second largest with 260 species after Senecio (310 species). Helichrysum is not restricted to southern Africa but also occurs in tropical Africa (46 species), Madagascar (117 species), and Europe & Asia (75 species). In total there are about 585 species worldwide.

Helichrysum species are commonly known as everlastings or paper daisies and are often a very striking component in many field types. However, the sheer size of the genus has put many people off trying to identify them despite a fairly recent revision and available descriptions.

With this key we not only strive to provide a well illustrated identification tool but also a consolidation of information available for each species. We coded many more characters than needed for an identification to expand the application of the key. Apart from identifying species this is also a very useful tool to provide checklists for areas or to provide lists of any combination of characters, e.g. plants flowering in Mpumalanga in April, species with white involucral bracts, species with more than 300 florets, etc.

Fact Sheets are provided for each species. These contain information on the derivation of the name, diagnostic characters, common names, distribution, description, notes, relationships, and taxonomy. For each species there is a distribution map, illustrations, images of specimens and colour images.

The descriptive information in the key and fact sheets are essentially based on the floristic treatment of the genus by O.M. Hilliard in 1983: FLORA OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, Volume 33 Asteraceae, Part 7 Inuleae, Fascicle 2 Gnaphaliinae. These are supplemented by information available in a database of 13 510 Helichrysum specimens in the National Herbarium collection in Pretoria as well as personal observations and research.

 This identification tool covers Scolytine and Hylesine (Curculionidae) bark beetles of the southeast USA.  It covers 200 species and the tool contains thousands of images.  The user is able to choose which characters to use in the identification process based on ease of visibility or preference.  There is glossary of terms and the characters are all illustrated within the key.In many instances, only a few characters are needed.  Images can be used to corroborate the determination.  

In cases where the Lucid tool only goes to genus, a dichotomous key with plentiful illustrations is provided to bring the user to species.