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The search bar finds results for which your input text can be found within the taxon names, glossary term, etc.
Wherever your input text includes spaces or punctuation, the search bar allows any number of characters to be skipped in the result text. E.g. “cl-av” (with or without quotes) matches any of the following results:
Note that “clav” without a space or punctuation in the middle will match only the first two results above. It won’t match any result with additional letters between the “cl” and the “av”. On the other hand, a search for “hedgenettle” will match a taxon called “hedge-nettle” since the sequence of letters is the same once punctuation is ignored.
The search looks for a match in the common name, scientific name, and any alternative names of every taxon. It also looks for any variations of a glossary term, e.g. “sepals” matches the “sepal” glossary term.
Results are ordered with priority given to a match that starts with the input text. Otherwise, taxons are ordered with the most commonly observed taxons first. Other result types (e.g. glossary terms) are ordered according to the whims of the code.
If the taxon has one or more alternative common names, you can also search for these. The search results show the primary name with the matched alternative name in brackets. E.g.
If the guide contains one or more subspecies or varieties of a species, but doesn’t have a page for the species itself, you can still search for the species name, and the search results will show the infraspecific pages. E.g.
When searching for a scientific name, you can include rank specifiers such as “genus” or “var.”. In this guide, the rank is always spelled out except for infraspecific ranks, which are always abbreviated “ssp.”, “var.”, or “f.” As with all searches, however, you may choose to omit any words (or parts of words) that you like. A match that begins at the start of a taxon’s name is given priority over a match later in a name, even if the rank prefix is omitted.
If the taxon has one or more alternative scientific names, you can also search for these. This includes only those names listed on the taxon page, e.g. for CalFlora, Jepson’s eFlora, etc. It does not include all historical synonyms. The search results show the primary name with the matched alternative name in brackets. E.g.
If the guide contains pages within a genus, but doesn’t have a page for the genus itself, you can still search for the genus name, and the search results will show the relevant pages. E.g.
Of course, if you just search for the genus name without the “genus” prefix, e.g. “Armeria”, it will match all taxons in that genus.
You can search for a glossary term, and the search results link directly to its definition on the glossary page.
You can also search for certain expected variations of a term, such as the plural form (e.g. “lemmas” or “teeth”).
To restrict the search to only glossary terms (e.g. not taxons), include the word “glossary” after the search term.
You can search for a help page by its title. Include the word “help” before the title to restrict the search to help pages.
You can start an advanced search by typing an advanced search term in the regular search bar, e.g. “within flowering plants”. The result links to the advanced search page with the corresponding search term.