A list of type specimens held in Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada's National Collection of Vascular Plants (DAO). A type specimen is the specimen selected by a botanist as an example of a particular species (and/or category of plants). Current international rules for naming plants require that a new name of a newly-described species is supported by a type specimen in a recognized collection. The type is frequently the most clear indication of what a plant name represents and types are often examined so that plant names can be properly applied. Several kinds of types are officially recognized in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (available online).
Records in this list are in various stages of review and completion. They will be updated as digitization continues. Countries of collection follow guidance from the Government of Canada resource Data Reference Standard on Countries, Territories and Geographic areas.