Decipher our collections,
discover hidden archives
and contribute to knowledge

Join our community of volunteers

Image by John Tann from Flickr

Join a virtual expedition of…

Collection labels

Capture data from specimen and object labels to make it accessible for scientific and cultural research.

See all labels

Historical documents

Transcribe text and capture data from historical documents to make them digitally accessible.

See all field journals

Wildlife Spotter

Identify and tag images of animals and collection objects to support information discovery and research.

See all camera traps

Feature Expedition

Flora of Britain and Ireland: Papaveraceae

SpecimensRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Papaveraceae or the poppy family can be found across the northern hemisphere in temperate and subtropical climates. Many species have striking brightly coloured petals to attract their pollinators. In this expedition we will be exploring the Papaveraceae of Britain and Ireland.

Very few members of the family are native to this region. Most people in the British Isles will be familiar with Papaver rhoeas ‘Corn Poppy’ which has been naturalised here for a very long time. It thrives in disturbed soil and prior to the use of herbicides was a common site on agriculture land. In World War 1 it bloomed between trench lines and no mans land and has become the symbol worn on remembrance day.

One native species that you may be familiar with is Papaver cambricum commonly known as the ‘Welsh  Poppy’. It has soft bowl-shaped yellow to orange flowers 5cm across which can be found in damp rocky woodlands and on shaded cliff ledges. It has become extensively naturalised in gardens and riversides and urban structures such as roadsides, waste ground, pavements and it even emerges from walls!

The collections from Britain and Ireland held within the RBGE Herbarium are estimated to number over 500,000 specimens of cryptogams (algae, fungi, lichens and mosses), ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants. In 2021 we began to increase our in-house digitisation capacity with the aim of completing the digitisation of its 3 million specimens in a 5-year programme (2021-2025). The next series of expeditions seek to complement this body of work by enriching the basic online catalogue records produced by the in-house digitisation team with specimen label data.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s extensive Herbarium numbers nearly three million specimens representing half to two thirds of the world's flora. It is considered a leading botanical collection, and every year many researchers from around the world visit to study our specimens.

0% Complete (success)
47% Transcribed
0% Validated
47% Transcribed
1486 Tasks

More Expeditions

The 1806 New South Wales Muster

0% Complete (success)
4% Transcribed
0% Validated
4% Transcribed
104 Tasks

Bureau of Mineral Resources Sample Submission Forms 25.1 - New Format

5% Complete (success)
28% Transcribed
5% Validated
33% Transcribed
2022 Tasks

Legumes from Central and South America at the Kew Herbarium - Part III

0% Complete (success)
36% Transcribed
0% Validated
36% Transcribed
1916 Tasks

Flora of Britain and Ireland: Papaveraceae

0% Complete (success)
47% Transcribed
0% Validated
47% Transcribed
1486 Tasks

Euphorbiaceae (China and Korea)

0% Complete (success)
48% Transcribed
0% Validated
48% Transcribed
1631 Tasks

Australian Museum Weevils - Dryophthorinae 1

0% Complete (success)
63% Transcribed
0% Validated
63% Transcribed
296 Tasks

Echinoderms of the WA Museum 1959 - 1976 (Part A)

41% Complete (success)
24% Transcribed
41% Validated
65% Transcribed
90 Tasks

Tarcutta_Array_2022_06_to_2023_01 (17 of 18)

56% Complete (success)
26% Transcribed
56% Validated
82% Transcribed
3000 Tasks

Grasses of the World, Unite!

86% Complete (success)
1% Transcribed
86% Validated
87% Transcribed
1530 Tasks

Bush Heritage Australia Bon Bon Core 42 (9 of 20)

99% Complete (success)
0% Transcribed
99% Validated
99% Transcribed
3000 Tasks

Bush Heritage Australia Bon Bon Core 42 (10 of 20)

83% Complete (success)
16% Transcribed
83% Validated
99% Transcribed
3000 Tasks

DigiVol Stats

{{transcriberCount | number}} Volunteers

{{completedTasks | number}} tasks of {{totalTasks | number}} completed

Honour Board

Day Tripper View Top 20
{{daily.name}} {{daily.score | number}}
Weekly Wonder View Top 20
{{weekly.name}} {{weekly.score | number}}
Monthly Maestro View Top 20
{{monthly.name}} {{monthly.score | number}}
DigiVol Legend View Top 20
{{alltime.name}} {{alltime.score | number}}

Latest Contributions

Why you should get involved?

Contribute to knowledge

Help researchers better understand the diversity of plant and animal life.

Be an online volunteer

Be part of an active community that supports and contributes to science and culture.

Make data accessible

Unlock collections and extend the reach of information around the world.

Institutions using DigiVol