The Compleat Botanica contains a checklist of 26,334 genus names, 54,662 species epithets, 23,227 sub-species and varieties. The overwhelming majority of these names are for vascular plants: angiosperms, gymnosperms, spore bearing ferns and their allies.

As you create a new specimen record, you�ll want to begin by typing the genus. If there�s a question about it�s correct spelling, just type the first few letters of the name then click on the combo-box button to find the genus in the drop-down list.

The species name can be typed in or chosen from the drop-down list. Only species of the current genus are listed. In this example, the species names for the Acer genus are listed.

The same steps work for the variety. You can either type in the variety name or select from the drop-down list. In this example, the varieties and sub-species of Acer negundo are shown.

Note that the variety field is also used to enter the sub-species name if it exists. (The sub-species name is infrequently used and it�s rare to have both a sub-species and a variety for an individual specimen.)