license: cc-by-4.0
language:
- en
tags:
- palms
- botany
- biodiversity
- taxonomy
- plant-traits
- palm-species
- functional-traits
- tropical-plants
- palm-trees
pretty_name: Palma-1.0 Dataset
size_categories:
- 1K<n<10K
Palma-1.0 Dataset
Comprehensive Database of Global Palm Species
Palma-1.0 is a comprehensive exploration of palm species, including the PalmTraits 1.0 dataset enriched with data from GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikimedia Commons, and Plants of the World Online (POWO).
Dataset Overview
Palma-1.0 contains comprehensive data on 2,557 palm species across 181 genera. The dataset combines morphological traits, taxonomic classification, geographic distribution, and detailed fruit characteristics, enhanced with information from multiple authoritative sources.
Key Statistics
- 2,557 Species - Comprehensive coverage of palm biodiversity
- 181 Genera - Representing the taxonomic breadth of the Arecaceae family
- 120+ Countries - Global distribution across tropical and subtropical regions
- 35 Variables - Covering taxonomy, morphology, geography, and fruit characteristics
Dataset Structure
The dataset is organized into several major categories of variables:
1. Taxonomy
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SpecName | Complete scientific name of the species | Acanthophoenix crinita |
| accGenus | Taxonomic genus | Acanthophoenix |
| accSpecies | Species epithet | crinita |
| PalmTribe | Taxonomic tribe | Areceae |
| PalmSubfamily | Subfamily within Arecaceae | Arecoideae |
2. Native Zone & Common Names
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| NativeRegion | Primary native geographic region | EC. & SE. Réunion |
| CommonNamesEN | Common names in English | Everglades palm, paurotis palm |
| CommonNamesFR | Common names in French | Palmiste rouge, Palmiste boure |
| CommonNamesSP | Common names in Spanish | tasiste |
| Photos | URLs to species photographs | [URL links to images] |
| PhotoReferences | Attribution for photographs | (c) Aurélien Bour, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) |
3. Growth & Habit
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Climbing | Climbing growth habit (0/1) | 0 |
| Acaulescent | Without an above-ground stem (0/1) | 0 |
| Erect | Upright growth pattern (0/1) | 1 |
| StemSolitary | Single stem vs. clustering (0/1) | 1 |
| StemArmed | Presence of spines on stem (0/1) | 1 |
| MaxStemHeight_m | Maximum height (m) | 15 |
| MaxStemDia_cm | Maximum stem diameter (cm) | 20 |
| UnderstoreyCanopy | Growth position in forest structure | canopy |
4. Leaf Characteristics
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| LeavesArmed | Presence of spines on leaves (0/1) | 1 |
| MaxLeafNumber | Maximum number of leaves | 15 |
| Max_Blade_Length_m | Maximum leaf blade length (m) | 2.3 |
| Max_Rachis_Length_m | Maximum rachis length (m) | 3 |
| Max_Petiole_length_m | Maximum petiole length (m) | 0.65 |
5. Fruit Characteristics
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| AverageFruitLength_cm | Average fruit length (cm) | 0.65 |
| MinFruitLength_cm | Minimum fruit length (cm) | 0.6 |
| MaxFruitLength_cm | Maximum fruit length (cm) | 0.7 |
| AverageFruitWidth_cm | Average fruit width (cm) | 0.5 |
| MinFruitWidth_cm | Minimum fruit width (cm) | 0.5 |
| MaxFruitWidth_cm | Maximum fruit width (cm) | 0.9 |
| FruitSizeCategorical | Categorical fruit size | small |
| FruitShape | Fruit shape description | ovoid |
| FruitColorDescription | Detailed description of fruit colors | black |
| MainFruitColors | Dominant colors of ripe fruit | black |
| Conspicuousness | Visibility of the fruit | cryptic |
Data Sources
Primary Dataset
- PalmTraits 1.0: The foundational dataset containing morphological and ecological data for palm species worldwide.
Enrichment Sources
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
- Over 1.8 million palm observations
- Provides occurrence data and taxonomic information
iNaturalist
- Over 250,000 palm observations
- Citizen science platform with photo documentation
POWO (Plants of the World Online)
- Definitive source for accepted taxonomy
- Maintained by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Wikimedia Commons
- Repository of CC-licensed palm images
- Used for visual documentation of species
Methodology
The dataset was developed through the following process:
Data Collection
- Primary data extracted from PalmTraits 1.0
- Enriched with API queries to GBIF, iNaturalist, and POWO
Taxonomic Harmonization
- Reference taxonomy from POWO used as standard
- Resolution of synonymies and taxonomic inconsistencies
Validation and Cleaning
- Rigorous validation to identify and correct outliers
- Manual verification of inconsistent records using scientific literature
Geospatial Enrichment
- Addition of environmental information from global geospatial layers
- Characterization of ecological niches
Analysis and Visualization
- Statistical methods applied to explore patterns
- Visualization of distribution and trait relationships
Available Formats
The dataset is available in multiple formats:
- CSV (comma-separated values)
- JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
- Plain text
All available for download from the Palma Encyclopedia Website in the Dataset section, or directly from this repository.
Citation
If you use this dataset in your research, please cite:
Palma-1.0: A global database of palm functional traits, based on PalmTraits 1.0 and enhanced with GBIF,
iNaturalist, Wikimedia Commons and POWO data (2025). Encyclopedia of Palms Project.
License
This dataset is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Contact
For questions, suggestions, or collaboration inquiries, please open an issue in this repository or contact:
Email: contact@kitsuiwebster.com Twitter: @kitsuiwebster