# POWO taxonomy and distribution data - a good reference? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [August 28, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/powo-taxonomy-and-distribution-data-a-good-reference/6141 "2019-08-28T18:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnifex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/carnifex/32/62_2.png) [@carnifex](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/carnifex)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/powo-taxonomy-and-distribution-data-a-good-reference/6141/1 "2019-08-28T18:45:49Z")
The topic of **introduced species** has recently been discussed in various topics (e.g. [here](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/species-listed-as-introduced-when-they-are-not/5968), [here](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/many-introduced-invasive-plants-arent-marked-as-such-in-areas-they-are-invasive/2205) or [here](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/about-the-field-introduced/6091/10)). I was about to change the status of one species (_Cecropia schreberiana)_, that I observed in Cuba (fittingly the featured country of today) to ‘introduced’, because according to [POWO](http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:50937-2#distribution-map), it is not present (or native) in Cuba. I then checked the Cuban Red List to see which species are native on the island, and it lists only one species, _C. antillarum_. This species, however, only has subspecies rank in POWO. Now it is getting strange – POWO lists it as a subspecies of _C. schreberiana_, and while on the [subspecies website](http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60441746-2) its distribution is shown to include Cuba, on the species page its distribution starts on the next island, Hispaniola. I wonder why this isn’t automatically included, anyways, this is a POWO issue, not to be discussed here. However, while POWO is used as the reference source for plant taxonomy, I guess when it comes to assigning establishment means, other sources (or better: multiple sources) should be used before changing the status. But I am not a ‘plant guy’, nor do I have much experience with POWO, so others might comment on the data quality of that data base ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/powo-taxonomy-and-distribution-data-a-good-reference/6141/2 "2019-08-28T19:21:59Z")
No, POWO is not a good source for complete distribution data. ---
**Author:** ![jdmore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdmore/32/1116_2.png) [@jdmore](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdmore)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/powo-taxonomy-and-distribution-data-a-good-reference/6141/3 "2019-08-28T19:26:28Z")
And even less so for determining Native or Introduced status. ---
**Author:** ![robertarcher397](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/robertarcher397/32/57_2.png) [@robertarcher397](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/robertarcher397)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/powo-taxonomy-and-distribution-data-a-good-reference/6141/4 "2019-08-28T19:29:56Z")
POWO is not a good source to use (at least before 2020). ---
**Author:** ![afid](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/afid/32/490_2.png) [@afid](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/afid)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/powo-taxonomy-and-distribution-data-a-good-reference/6141/5 "2019-08-28T20:11:55Z")
I like to use GBIF for things like this, not sure how reliable it is either though… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/powo-taxonomy-and-distribution-data-a-good-reference/6141/6 "2019-10-27T20:20:08Z")
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