BotanizeR: A flexible R package with Shiny app to practice plant identification for online teaching and beyond

Abstract

Confronting the ongoing biodiversity crisis and our incomplete taxonomic knowledge on the world's plants requires well-trained experts able to recognize and identify species. Although botanical training is an integral part of many university programs in biology, plant identification skills are becoming rare. The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged plant identification classes as many courses rely on hands-on practicing with plant material or guided excursions. Here, we present BotanizeR, a flexible online tool to make the wealth of digitally available but scattered information on plant characteristics accessible and allow users to practice plant identification. BotanizeR can assist in teaching plant knowledge in a playful way during times of online teaching and beyond and may help to increase the fascination of biology students and laypeople alike for plant diversity.