Skip to main content

Managing Species

Your species list is the foundation of your work in Terraware. Every accession and seedling batch you create must be associated with a species from this list, so it's worth setting it up thoroughly before you start tracking seeds or inventory. You can add species individually or import a list in bulk from a CSV file. Admins and Managers can add, edit, and delete species.

View your species list

Navigate to Species in the left navigation to see all the species your organization has added. From here you can search, filter, and download the list.

Search: Click the search icon at the top of the table and type what you're looking for. Matching entries will be highlighted in the list. If the list is filtered, only matches within the filtered results are highlighted.

Filter: Click the filter icon at the top of the table to filter by any column.

Download: Click the download icon to export the list as a CSV file. If the list is filtered, only the filtered results will be exported.

Add species individually

Adding species one at a time works well when you only need to add a few.

  1. In the Species screen, click Add Species.
  2. Enter the Scientific Name of the species in "genus species" format (example: Acacia koa). Note: As you type, Terraware searches the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) database for matching species. If no match is found, you can still save the name as entered.
  3. Optionally, fill in any of the following fields to make your species list more useful for filtering and planning:
    • Common Name — the name the species is commonly known by.
    • Family — pre-populated automatically if Terraware finds the species in the GBIF database.
    • IUCN Red List Category — the species' conservation status. Learn more at iucnredlist.org.
    • Growth Form — the overall structure or morphology of the species.
    • Rare — check this if the species is considered rare.
    • Native Ecosystem — the ecosystems where this species occurs naturally.
    • Successional Group — pioneer, early secondary, late secondary, and/or mature.
    • Ecosystem Type — the types of ecosystem this species is associated with.
    • Ecological Role Known — functional group, ecosystem services, keystone species status, etc.
    • Local Uses Known — traditional, cultural, or economic uses of the species in your region.
    • Seed Storage Behavior — the capacity of the seeds to survive desiccation and cold storage.
    • Plant Material Sourcing Method — how plant material is typically sourced (seed collection, purchase, wildling harvest, vegetative propagation, etc.).
    • Other Facts — anything else worth noting about the species.
  4. Click Save to add the species to your list.

Associate a species with a project

If your organization uses projects, you can associate species with them and designate each species as native or non-native within the context of that project.

  1. Click the species name in the list to open its details, then click Edit Species.
  2. Click Add to Project.
  3. Select the project.
  4. Select whether the species is Native or Non-Native within that project.
  5. Click Add, then click Save.

Import a species list from a CSV

If you already have a species list — for example, in a spreadsheet — you can import it into Terraware in bulk. Importing will not overwrite species you've already added.

  1. In the Species screen, click the three dots icon at the top right and click Import.
  2. Click the link to download the CSV template and open it in your spreadsheet application.
  3. Fill in the template. The only required column is Scientific Name, in "genus species" format. Include as much additional information as you can — it will help you filter and plan later. Note: Save or export the file in CSV format before uploading.
  4. Back in Terraware, click Import, select your completed CSV file, and upload it. Note: If there are formatting issues in your file, Terraware will ask you to correct them and re-upload.
  5. Once the import is complete, Terraware will offer to run a data check to flag potential duplicate species and misspelled scientific names. It's a good idea to run this check after every import.

Edit a species

Changes to a species record are reflected automatically across all associated accessions, seedling batches, and plants in Terraware.

  1. In the Species screen, click the species that you want to edit.
  2. Click Edit Species.
  3. Update the fields as needed in the panel that appears.
  4. Click Save.

Delete a species

  1. In the Species screen, click the species you want to delete.
  2. Click the three dots icon at the top right and click Delete.
  3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog that appears.

Note: If the species is in use (in an Accession, in Inventory, and/or in an Observation), it cannot be deleted. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. 

Check species data against the GBIF database

You can run a database check at any time to compare your species list against the GBIF database. This will flag entries where the scientific name appears to be misspelled or is missing from the database entirely.

  1. Click the three dots icon at the top right of the Species screen and click Check Data.
  2. Click Run a Database Check.
  3. If issues are found, click Review Errors to see the flagged species. A yellow caution icon will appear next to each flagged species in the list.
  4. Click the caution icon next to a species to see the details of the issue and choose how to handle it:
    • Cancel — close the dialog without making any changes. The caution icon will remain.
    • Ignore — dismiss the flag. The species won't be flagged again if you run the check in the future.
    • Accept — accept Terraware's suggested correction and update the species name automatically. The change will be reflected across all associated records.
    • Edit — go to the species edit view to update the name manually.

Related articles

Related articles