Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Stub to Start drive

WikiProject Plants

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Introduction

Welcome to the WikiProject Plants Stub-to-Start Drive! This drive is an event of the Wikipedia Plants project. Its purpose is to quickly and minimally upgrade species Stub-class articles to Start-class by following a straightforward process described here. Stub-class articles are edited to meet the Plants project criteria for a taxon Start-class article, and we commit to accurately sourcing and citing existing information (or minimally, marking it with inline cleanup tags for review later), and sourcing and citing our own edits. During this drive, we intentionally do not upgrade articles to the level of detail of a C-class or above; however, if some of that detail exists in the article, we do not remove it.

Participants can work on their choice of articles. There is no expectation of how many will be upgraded during the drive, and each of us can work on the number of articles we choose. Other editing during the drive is limited only by the commitment that you will avoid creating additional Stub-class articles that are within the scope of the Plants project.

Your coordinator is Eewilson.

Why participate in the Stub-to-Start Drive?

• It's fast!
• It's easy!
• It took longer to write up these instructions than it will to upgrade an article!
• It's perfect for the newcomer.
• It's a nice break from the in-depth research required for GA and FA preparations.
• It can get you back into an editing groove if you've been absent for a while.
• We're a friendly bunch.
• You can learn botanical terminology.
• You can practice your Wikipedia editing skills.
• You can learn about editing plant species articles!
• We have pretty flowers!
• You don't have to be a botanist. You don't even have to know what one is.
• You can do a half-assed job and still succeed.
• You can contribute much in a relatively short period of time.
• We have cacti!
• You can learn about species.
• We have not just one user box, or two, but three!
• We have a Barnstar!
• You can use sources you are unfamiliar with.
• You can learn about the Plants project!
• There is practically no pressure, and we have ferns and some of the algae.
• You can, and are encouraged to, ignore all the red links you see.
• You can become a pro at using citation templates.
• And perhaps the best part of all, you are grading your own work!

Dos and don'ts

During the Stub-to-Start Drive...

• DO keep it simple.
• DON'T create more articles of any quality.
• DO cite sources with inline citations.
• DON'T try for a Did you know (DYK).
• DO use inline cleanup tags where appropriate.
• DON'T strive for perfection.
• DO add and keep red links.

Finding Stub-class articles

You can use the following link to pull up the list of all of the Stub-class articles in the Plants project.

https://wp1.openzim.org/#/project/Plant/articles?quality=Stub-Class

If you wish to find articles of a particular genus, click on "Filter by article name", type in the genus name (no leading or trailing spaces, case-sensitive), for example, Allium, Clematis, Solidago, etc., and it will return a list of Stub-class articles with that string in the title.

How to sign up

See section Sign-up: participants and their chosen articles for information on how to sign up for this drive.

You may invite editors to participate in the drive by placing a Stub-to-Start drive invitation on their talk pages via substitution.

You may add the Stub-to-Start drive user box or (and!) Ethmostigmus's adorable user box to your user page to show off the drive, and use the Stub-to-Start drive progress user box to brag about how many species articles you have upgraded so far.

Steps to upgrade a species article from Stub to Start

We use the assessment guidelines given at Template:Grading scheme and Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Assessment § Taxon-specific quality guidelines to determine if an article is of Start-class quality. The Start-class guidelines are listed in § Step 10: confirm article contents. For direction, we also refer to Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants § Article advice and Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Template.

Step 0: use a browser and log in

Using a browser, log in to your account.

Step 1: validate species name

In order to validate a species name or determine if one is a taxonomic synonym of an accepted name, use the binomial and the author citation. The unique botanical name consists of both of these, in that order. There have been situations where identical binomials with different authors have been defined to describe different species; thus, both parts are needed. Use the name of the article and the authority (author citation) within the article to determine if it is of a correct and accepted species name. Use the following databases depending on the category.

• For ferns and lycophytes, use World Ferns (a part of World Plants) at https://www.worldplants.de/world-ferns/ferns-and-lycophytes-list.
  • To cite this database, use {{Cite WF}}.
• For the remaining vascular plants (not ferns or lycophytes), use Plants of the World Online (POWO) at https://powo.science.kew.org/.
  • To cite this database, use {{Cite POWO}}.
• For algae, use AlgaeBase at https://www.algaebase.org/.
  • To cite this database for a species, use {{AlgaeBase species}}.
• For bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), use World Flora Online (WFO) at https://wfoplantlist.org/ or The Bryophyte Nomenclator [Bryonames] (https://www.bryonames.org).
  • To cite World Flora Online, use {{Cite WFO}}.
  • To cite Bryonames, use {{Cite bryonames}}.

Steps:

• If it is a correct, accepted name, compare the authorities in the |authority= param of the Speciesbox to those from the source.
  • If the authorities match, proceed to § Step 2: study the article.
  • If the authorities do not match, describe the situation in a new topic on the article talk page, and in a new topic on the Plants project talk page (request input and provide a link to the topic on the article talk page).
• If it is a synonym of a currently valid taxon, and that taxon has an article, the two articles can be merged. Follow the instructions on that page.
• If it is a synonym of a currently valid taxon, and that taxon does not have an article, request that the article be moved. Take the following steps.
  1. Create a redirect named with the new (upcoming) article name. Have it point to the existing article. Include in it the appropriate redirect categories as described in in the Plants project redirects categorization section.
  2. Create a new topic on the existing article's talk page, leaving the topic title blank. A bot will fill this in. Add template {{Requested move}} by substituting it in this format, {{subst:Requested move}}, and including the following parameters.
     • |new1=<<new article name>>
     • |reason=Moving taxonomic synonym to accepted name of taxon. You can either add a more detailed explanation or reasoning in this parameter, or after saving the talk page, edit the section and include more detail there.
     • |talk=yes
  3. Notify the Plants project by placing the following on the project talk page in a new section. Change the example parameter values with what is appropriate for your situation. Use {{RM notice}}.
     • {{subst:RM notice|existing page|new page|talk=existing page talk page|section=section on talk page}}

If the move is successful, modify the newly named article in order to keep it consistent with the new taxon name, including adjusting the values in the Speciesbox, then proceed to § Step 2: study the article only if the moved Stub-class article is still a species article.

• If it is not a synonym of a currently valid taxon, and you cannot find any evidence that it is a currently accepted species name, then the stub article can be considered for deletion. Propose the article be deleted then proceed with your next article.

Step 2: study the article

Familiarize yourself with the article as it appears in its Stub-class form. If you find something that needs clean-up or that you wish to check, don't hesitate to do it. Alternatively, you can tag it with {{Citation needed}}, {{Clarify}}, or other inline cleanup tags as applies. You may even be able to resolve one or more tags while upgrading the article, or you can deal with them at another time.

• Check the grammar and spelling, correcting if necessary.
• Check the existing sources in the article for dead URLs. If a URL is dead, attempt to correct it by checking for an archived copy, often using the Wayback Machine. If you find an archived copy with the appropriate content, add that link to the source citation. See Help:Using the Wayback Machine for instructions. If it truly is dead with no archive, tag it with {{Dead link}}.
• If a web source is out of date, update the article with the information from the current version of the source or look for an archived copy as directed in the previous bullet point.
• Mark bare URLs with the appropriate bare URL cleanup tags ({{Bare URL inline}} or another, as appropriate).
  • Helpful, but optional: change bare URLs to the appropriate citation format using citation templates.
• Mark plain text sources with tag {{Full citation needed}}.

Step 3: short description

If {{Short description}} is not at the very top of the article, add it. There is an informational page Wikipedia:Short description (WP:SDESC) which gives suggested wording for an organism article at Wikipedia:Short description § Examples (WP:SDEXAMPLES). A long-standing PLANTS project practice has been to use the scientific name of the family in the short description, such as "Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae". This contradicts WP:SDESC.

From WP:SDEXAMPLES:

"[type of organism] of [common name or description]" (Examples: "Species of moth", "Group of flowering plants", "Extinct group of molluscs")... Do not include family name or other technical taxonomic terms.

On the same page, from WP:SDAVOID:

"avoid jargon, and use simple, readily comprehensible terms that do not require pre-existing detailed knowledge of the subject"

It is also suggested at WP:SDSHORT (aka, WP:SDFORMAT, WP:SD40) to keep the short description short, a rule of thumb being no more than 40 characters.

Based on these suggestions from WP:SDESC, use a common name of the family, if there is one, as shown here:

{{Short description|Species of KINDOFPLANT in family COMMONNAME}}

where "KINDOFPLANT" is "plant", "fern", "vine", "shrub", "tree", "lichen", "moss", "green algae", "liverwort", "hornwort", etc., and "COMMONNAME" is a well known common name of the family, such as aster family, St. John's-wort family, plantain family, etc., or leave off "in family COMMONNAME" altogether, as so:

{{Short description|Species of KINDOFPLANT}}

Step 4: lead section

A one paragraph lead section will probably suffice for a Start-class species article. Standard elements of a species lead are given in this section.

The first two sentences of a plant species article are usually standardized to contain the following information, often in this order:

1. Species name, bolded (consider using template {{Strong}}) and italicized
2. Former species name (if applicable), if notable (e.g., it was used for an extended period), not bolded, italicized and in parentheses "(formerly OTHERSPECIESNAME)"
3. Lifespan, Wikilinked (perennial, annual, biennial)
4. Growth/habit, Wikilinked (herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plant, woody plant, fern, vine, shrub, tree, lichen, moss, green algae, etc.)
5. Taxonomic family, Wikilinked (in the Asteraceae family)
6. Nativity, the location, Wikilinked if MOS:OVERLINK does not apply (native to <<location>>, endemic to <<location>>)
7. Common name(s), if applicable, with name(s) also bolded (or with {{Strong}}) but not italicized.

Lead example 1 – Excerpt from the lead of Symphyotrichum pilosum

Symphyotrichum pilosum (formerly Aster pilosus) is a perennial, herbaceous, flowering plant in the Asteraceae family native to central and eastern North America. It has common names of hairy white oldfield aster and frost aster.

{{Strong|''Symphyotrichum pilosum''}} (formerly ''Aster pilosus'') is a [[Perennial plant|perennial]], [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]], [[flowering plant]] in the [[Asteraceae]] [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Native species|native]] to central and eastern North America. It has [[common name]]s of {{Strong|hairy white oldfield aster}} and {{Strong|frost aster}}.

Lead example 2 – Entire lead of Symphyotrichum molle

Symphyotrichum molle (formerly Aster mollis) is a species of flowering plant in the aster family (Asteraceae) endemic to the Bighorn Mountains of Montana and Wyoming in the United States. Its common name is soft aster, and it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that ranges from 30 to 60 centimeters (12 to 24 inches) in height.

{{Strong|''Symphyotrichum molle''}} (formerly ''Aster mollis'') is a [[species]] of flowering plant in the aster [[Family (botany)|family]] ([[Asteraceae]]) [[endemic]] to the [[Bighorn Mountains]] of [[Montana]] and [[Wyoming]] in the United States. Its [[common name]] is  {{Strong|soft aster}}, and it is a [[Perennial plant|perennial]], [[herbaceous]] plant that ranges from {{Convert|30|to|60|cm|in|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} in height.

For more information about lead sections in Wikipedia articles, see Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section.

Step 5: speciesbox

Optional Speciesbox information for Start-class

There is some Speciesbox information you can intentionally postpone during this drive. However, if optional items are in the article, these will need to be verified, corrected (if applicable), and the proper source(s) cited (if applicable). Unsourced optional statements of fact can be tagged inline with {{Citation needed}}.

Source citations in the Speciesbox

Items in the {{Speciesbox}} need source citations, and the following elements, if used, require citations to reliable sources.

• Authority: |authority= – after the author abbreviations, append a source citation
• Conservation statuses: |status_ref= and |status2_ref=
• Subdivisions: |subdivision_ref=
• Synonyms: |synonyms_ref=
• Image captions: If they state facts requiring a source, citations should be placed within the text of the caption after the statement: |image_caption= and |image2_caption=.
• Range map captions: The citation(s) for the source of the information on the range map should be placed within the |range_map_caption= parameter.

Species binomial and authority

Obtain binomial names and author citations from a reliable secondary source as listed in § Step 1: validate species name.

In botany, a species binomial name contains the genus name in sentence case followed by the species name in all lowercase. The species binomial is italicized, as shown here:

Epilobium coloratum

Each author has a unique abbreviation for use within an author citation of a botanical name called a standard abbreviation. The author citation is formatted in botany with the author of the basionym in parentheses if the currently accepted binomial name is different from the original. The full name is the binomial followed by the citation for the author or authors who published that name, as shown here.

Epilobium coloratum Biehler

In Wikipedia, author abbreviations are printed in small font using either <small></small> or {{Small}}.

The |authority= parameter contains the string of author abbreviations applicable to the species covered by the article. It will automatically format the string with small font. Wikilinking the authors is optional during this drive. In this example, piped Wikilinks for the authors are used and a source citation in shortened footnote format is appended to the authority.

| genus             = Symphyotrichum
| species           = pilosum
| authority         = ([[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]]) [[Guy L. Nesom|G.L.Nesom]]{{Sfnp|POWO|2022}}

Dates and publications are not to be included with the botanical names in the Speciesbox. If you find a botanical article that includes dates or publications within a taxon name in a Taxobox, Automatic taxobox, Speciesbox, etc., remove them and leave only the binomial and author citation.

See Author citation (botany) for a more detailed description of author citations.

Subdivisions

Not all species have subdivisions, and the subdivision parameters only apply to those with currently accepted ones. Subdivisions of species are called infraspecies and can include subspecies, varieties, subvarieties, and forms. The same reliable secondary source used to confirm the correct species name in § Step 1: validate species name should be used to find the accepted infraspecies.

There are multiple ways to add a list of subdivisions to the Speciesbox. You can set the parameter |subdivision_ranks=[[Infraspecies]] (including the Wikilink) or to the individual infraspecies type if only one applies (such as "Varieties", as shown in the example below).

A manually bulleted list is an option for parameter |subdivision=, particularly if the list of subdivisions is short. A longer list might be better suited for a collapsible format such as what can be provided by using the {{Collapsible list}} or {{Species list}} templates. The Species list template will automatically format the values.

The example uses a bulleted list, each variety in the example is manually italicized, and the author citations are set to small font using the template Small. Set the parameter |subdivision_ref= with the citation for the reference.

The two varieties for Symphyotrichum pilosum in this example are listed in the |subdivision= parameter using a simple bulleted list with asterisks. The first is the autonym Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum, abbreviated S. pilosum var. pilosum. The second is Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei, abbreviated S. pilosum var. pringlei. Note that the connector "var.", which stands for "variety", is not italicized, nor would be "subsp." for "subspecies", "subvar." for "subvariety", or "f." for "form".

| subdivision_ranks = [[Variety (botany)|Varieties]]
| subdivision_ref   = {{Sfnp|POWO|2022}}
| subdivision       = 
*''S. pilosum'' var. ''pilosum''
*''S. pilosum'' var. ''pringlei'' {{Small|(A.Gray) G.L.Nesom}}

Conservation (if information is available)

Check for conservation information for the species in the databases from the lists at Wikipedia:Conservation status and Template:Taxobox/species/doc. Descriptions of accepted values for the conservation parameters |status=, |status_system=, |status_ref=, |status2=, |status2_system=, and |status2_ref= are at Template:Taxobox/species/doc. A second status would be used if, for example, the species is in both the NatureServe (TNC) database and the IUCN Red List (IUCN). Fill in at least the first set if conservation information can be found. Here is an example using NatureServe.

| status            = G5
| status_system     = TNC
| status_ref        = {{Sfnp|NatureServe|2022}}

Templates {{Cite IUCN}} and {{Cite NatureServe}} are recommended for citations of those two databases.

Step 6: main body

Add Wikilinks to terms. Break the article into level-2 sections (==). You don't need to break up the body of the article into these exact sections, but these are standard for plant species articles (see Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Template) and may be changed later by another editor if you veer from the standard. The following information needs to be included, preferably in this order. Include citations to sources.

Description

Basic description of the plant. Information can come from a flora or other source, most likely a secondary source rather than the original species description.

Distribution and habitat

Information on where it is found (native and introduced) and description of the habitat(s).

Conservation (if information is available)

Check the databases from the lists at Wikipedia:Conservation status and Template:Taxobox/species/doc. Include a few sentences of conservation information which should be, in prose, anything you had added to the Speciesbox plus some additional conservation information you can glean from the source. Templates {{Cite IUCN}} and {{Cite NatureServe}} are recommended for citations.

Conservation section example using NatureServe – from Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

This example uses NatureServe. Include the status in the Speciesbox, then in this section, you could write information similar to the following, with source citations that are not shown here (text copied from the article Symphyotrichum novae-angliae):

As of July 2021, NatureServe listed S. novae-angliae as Secure (G5) worldwide. This status was last reviewed on 13 May 2016. In individual provinces and states, it is listed as Possibly Extirpated (SX) in Oklahoma; Critically Imperiled (S1) in Saskatchewan, Georgia, South Carolina, and Wyoming; Imperiled (S2) in Colorado; and, Vulnerable (S3) in North Carolina.

{{As of|2021|July}}, [[NatureServe]] listed ''S. novae-angliae'' as [[NatureServe conservation status|Secure (G5)]] worldwide. This status was last reviewed on {{Nowrap|13 May 2016}}. In individual provinces and states, it is listed as Possibly [[Extirpated]] (SX) in [[Oklahoma]]; Critically Imperiled (S1) in [[Saskatchewan]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[South Carolina]], and Wyoming; Imperiled (S2) in [[Colorado]]; and, Vulnerable (S3) in [[North Carolina]].

Step 7: reference section

Create a level-2 section (==) called References, Citations, or Sources (your choice), unless it already exists. Add the {{Reflist}} template to the section if it or something similar is not there. See Wikipedia:Citing sources for detailed information on this topic.

Step 8: taxonbar

Below the references, If it doesn't exist, add a taxonbar with the {{Taxonbar}} template. It is explained in the template documentation.

Step 9: categories

See Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Template § Categories for information.

Step 10: confirm article contents

Confirm that the article now contains at least what is listed as required (the should haves) for assessing a taxon article as Start-class.

The first paragraph and bullet points were manually added from the criteria for Start-class articles from Template:Grading scheme on 27 October 2024.

Wikipedia Start-class articles should have one or more of the following:

• A useful picture or graphic
• Multiple links that help explain or illustrate the topic
• A subheading that fully treats an element of the topic
• Multiple subheadings that indicate material that could be added to complete the article

The following text for the project-specific Start-class guidelines is transcluded from Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Assessment § Start guidelines.
To be of Start-class, the taxon article should have the following:

• Taxobox (preferably automatic taxobox or speciesbox) and a taxonbar
• List of descendant taxa
• Basic description of its appearance (morphology)
• Basic description of its distribution and habitat
• Conservation status, if relevant
• Reference at least one secondary scholarly source that goes beyond simply verifying that the species is valid

Helpful but not required for the article to be of Start-class are the following:

• Image or illustration
• Basic taxonomy, etymology, including synonyms listed in the taxobox, common name(s)
• Touch on any subjects that are particularly relevant to the taxon, e.g. horticulture, agriculture, culture, etc., more of which are listed at the WP:PLANTS Template in detail

Step 11: finishing up

Once an article contains what is in the should haves from § Step 10: confirm article contents, do the following:

1. From the bottom of the article page, remove the stub template and publish this change.
2. On the article talk page, do the following:
   • Change parameter |class= of template {{WikiProject banner shell}} from stub to start.
   • Change or remove the following parameter values, if applicable, for the template {{WikiProject Plants}}:
     • |needs-photo=y if there is no photo of the plant in the article. If there is a photo in the article, remove this parameter.
     • |needs-map=y if there is no range (or distribution) map in the Speciesbox. If there is a range map in the Speciesbox, remove this parameter.

Be careful not to overwrite any other templates that exist on the talk page.

Note: If your change to Start-class is questioned, you can refer the questioner to Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Assessment. If it is reverted, you can tag a coordinator of this drive (e.g., {{u|Eewilson}}) in a comment on the talk page of the article.

Sign-up: participants and their chosen articles

Go to the Stub-to-Start participants page and follow the instructions to add your information to the list. The instructions and the list are transcluded below.

The following text is transcluded from Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Stub to Start drive/Participants.

List of participants
(Enter yourself at the bottom of the list by following the sign-up instructions.)

• Elizabeth (Eewilson) (tag or ping me) (talk) 17:45, 10 October 2024 (UTC) – subtribe Symphyotrichinae (genera Symphyotrichum, Almutaster, Ampelaster, Canadanthus), Erigeron philadelphicus (and maybe other Erigeron), Phlox nivalis, possibly some in Solidago and Epilobium
• Fritzmann2002 — family Hypericaceae
• 🌿MtBotany (talk) 17:27, 12 October 2024 (UTC) – Penstemon, Castilleja, Argemone, Ipomopsis, then Gilia
• Pagliaccious (talk) 03:10, 13 October 2024 (UTC) – Bromus
• Ethmostigmus 🌿 (talk | contribs) 01:50, 14 October 2024 (UTC) – Fissidens hydropogon, Frullania polysticta, Picconia excelsa, Anthocleista laxiflora, Dolichostachys, Tritomaria ferruginea, Bazzania bhutanica, Brymela tutezona, Geothallus, Selaginella carinata, Utricularia aureomaculata, Paphiopedilum helenae, Eragrostis episcopulus
• ArthurTheGardener (talk) 08:37, 14 October 2024 (UTC) – Digitalis isabelliana, Digitalis chalcantha, Aster glehnii, Aster ageratoides, Lupinus exaltatus, Clematis viridiflora, Hyacinthoides mauritanica, Syringa × diversifolia, Anthurium lentii, Aster tonglingensis, Lavandula pubescens, Carex pilosa, Carex physodes, Carex alba, Carex rupestris , Carex sempervirens, Carex cusickii, Carex in general.
• Eucalyptusmint (talk) 18:29, 15 October 2024 (UTC) – Artemisia
• Jacketpocket (talk) 21:02, 15 October 2024 (UTC) – Aquilegia
• Esculenta (talk) 04:05, 24 October 2024 (UTC) – cryptogams in general, but nothing specific in mind
• Cayuga3 (talk) 22:42, 28 November 2024 (UTC) – Coreopsideae

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Sign-up instructions
Follow these instructions to sign up to participate in the Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants Stub-to-start Drive. Your entry will include a bullet point, your signature, and what you plan to upgrade. The purpose of listing what we are working on is to avoid bumping into each other (although, with over 61,000 plants stub articles as of October 2024, there is a statistically small chance that will happen).

1. Log in to your account.
2. On a new line at the bottom of the list, type an asterisk (*) to create a bullet point.
3. Enter ~~~~ to add your signature with date and time stamp.
4. Enter an {{ndash}}.
5. Still on the same line, enter the articles you plan to upgrade.
   

   → To upgrade certain species articles:
   * ~~~~ {{ndash}} ''[[GENUS SPECIES]]''
   

   → To upgrade species articles within a genus:
   * ~~~~ {{ndash}} ''[[GENUS]]''

   → To upgrade species articles within a small subtribe:
   * ~~~~ {{ndash}} [[SUBTRIBE]]

   • If you wish to upgrade an article or work in a taxon that has already been added to the list, you can contact the user and decide who will do what, or you can choose another species or genus.
   • If you wish for a coordinator to assign you articles, place {{ndash}} request NUMBEROF article(s) or {{ndash}} request genus [or NUMBEROF genera] after your signature, and the links to the articles will be added here with a message to you on your user talk page.
6. Publish your edits.

Changing your article list
You can change the list of articles assigned to you by doing either (or both) of the following:

• Adding more articles next to your name;
• Deleting any articles next to your name as long as you have not yet upgraded them.

Do not remove articles that you have upgraded. Do not add a check mark or the word or template "Done". That's not necessary here, but feel free to keep your own list if you wish. It also can be helpful if you enter the articles you upgrade on the Statistics page as you finish them, because we don't have a good way of automatically tracking those (yet).

Ending your participation
To end your participation in the drive, do one of the following:

• If you have not upgraded any articles, simply remove the entire line with your signature.
• If you have upgraded articles, do not remove the line with your signature. Instead, replace the what you had planned to upgrade with the what you did upgrade.

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Notes

Appendix 1: optional items and things to postpone

If optional items are in the article and they have source citations, these will need to be verified, corrected (if applicable), and the proper source(s) cited (if applicable). Unsourced optional statements of fact that you have not added can be tagged inline with {{Citation needed}}.

Convention templates (optional)

If you are upgrading an article that does not have an established convention of date format, reference format, or English style, feel free to add your chosen templates and use your conventions of choice. If a convention has been previously used, follow it. These templates take the parameter |date=October 2024.

{{Use dmy dates}}

{{Use mdy dates}}

{{Use shortened footnotes}}

{{Use list-defined references}}

{{Use American English}}

{{Use Australian English}}

{{Use British English}}

{{Use Canadian English}}

etc.

Images (optional)

For Start-class articles, images are optional.

Additional Speciesbox information (optional)

The following information is optional for Start-class articles. You can postpone them. However, if any of these exist in the article, you will need to either confirm any facts are sourced reliably or tag them inline with cleanup tags such as {{Citation needed}}.

• Images
• Wikilinks on the author abbreviations
• Subgenus, section, or subsection as parent
• Range or distribution map
• Synonyms in the Speciesbox

Speciesbox images (optional)

Two images of the species are possible in the Speciesbox, and images are nice but optional for Start-class articles. In this example, one image is shown for each of the two varieties.

| image             = Symphyotrichum pilosum 237289574.jpg
| image_alt         = four blooming flowers with white ray florets and yellow disk florets
| image_caption     = {{Nowrap|''S. pilosum'' var.}} ''pilosum''

| image2            = Symphyotrichum_pilosum_pringlei_Tennessee.jpg
| image2_alt        = growing in cracks of limestone riverscour is a blooming plant with many flowers with white ray florets and yellow disk florets
| image2_caption    = {{Nowrap|''S. pilosum'' var.}} ''pringlei''

Speciesbox synonym list (optional)

Adding a list of synonyms in the Speciesbox is optional for Start-class articles. There are multiple ways to add lists of synonyms to the Speciesbox. Symphyotrichum pilosum, shown below, has a separate basionym, and its two varieties each have multiple synonyms. This example uses a combination of a simple bulleted list for the basionym and two uses of {{Collapsible list}}, each with its own use of {{Species list}}. Species list is a shortcutted way to make a list of species without having to do the formatting manually. In nearly all cases, use only one reliable source for the list of synonyms. Set the parameter |synonyms_ref= with the citation for the reference. The same reliable secondary source used to confirm the correct species name in Step 1: validate species name should be used to find the synonyms. Do not combine synonym lists from multiple sources.

| synonyms_ref      = {{Sfnp|POWO|2022}}
| synonyms          =
'''Basionym'''
*''Aster pilosus'' {{Small|Willd.}}
{{Collapsible list | title=Species
 | {{Species list
   | Aster chrysogonii | [[Frère Sennen|Sennen]]
   | Aster ericoides var. pilosus | (Willd.) [[Thomas Conrad Porter|Porter]]
   | Aster ericoides var. platyphyllus | [[John Torrey|Torr.]] & A.Gray
   | Aster ericoides f. villosus | (Torr. & A.Gray) [[Andreas Voss (botanist)|Voss]]
   | Aster ericoides var. villosus | Torr. & A.Gray
   | Aster juniperinus | [[Edward Sandford Burgess|E.S.Burgess]]
   | Aster pilosus var. demotus | [[Sidney Fay Blake|S.F.Blake]]
   | Aster pilosus var. platyphyllus | S.F.Blake
   | Aster pilosus f. pulchellus | [[Hermann Conrad Benke|Benke]]
   | Aster villosus | [[André Michaux|Michx.]], ''[[Nomen illegitimum|nom. illeg.]]''
  }}
 }}
{{Collapsible list | title=Variety ''pringlei''
 | {{Species list
   | Aster ericoides var. pringlei | A.Gray
   | Aster faxonii | Porter
   | Aster pilosus var. pringlei | S.F.Blake
   | Aster polyphyllus | Willd., ''nom. illeg.''
   | Aster pringlei | [[Nathaniel Lord Britton|Britton]]
  }}
 }}

Taxonomy section (optional)

The taxonomy section, optional for Start-class articles, could include an elaboration of information about the currently accepted names of any subtaxa (subspecies, varieties, forms). It could also answer some of the following questions: Who first described this species and when? What is the basionym (original scientific name)? When and by whom was the currently accepted scientific name given? What is the etymology of the scientific name? Here, repeat the English common names from the lead, with sources, and add any less prominent ones that you happen to have found. This is an optional section for Start-class, and attempting to find information and add it may slow down your progress.

Appendix 2: reliable sources for plant articles

See the Plants project list of website resources for a list of some sources. Some of the links are out of date, some of the websites are no longer kept up to date, and some that we use now may not be on the list. See Wikipedia:Reliable sources for the Wikipedia content guideline on reliable sources.

Appendix 3: praising your peers

Often, we give or receive praise in Wikipedia for doing the hard thing to make an article GA or FA class. Here, we praise each other for making our articles just good enough to get started. We praise each other for not going the extra ten miles. We praise each other for the smaller steps. It's a concept we may have forgotten about while striving for the best. "Best" actually might be hindering our progress.

So let's praise each other for following the Stub-to-Start instructions. Let's praise each other for not creating articles. Let's praise each other and ourselves for being a part of a group of people who are passionate about improving the encyclopedia.

Leave notes on drive participants' talk pages with praise. You can also use {{The Plantae Barnstar}} to bestow praise upon another editor who is contributing to the drive.

Appendix 4: the stats

Until a more permanent log of articles improved in this drive is developed, please list your contributions on the Stub-to-Start statistics page which is transcluded below.

The following text is transcluded from Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Stub to Start drive/Statistics.

Feel free to list your contributions here using the provided template: ''[[Genus species]]'', DD-MON-YEAR, [[User:username|username]]

1. Vulcanoa steyermarkii, 13-OCT-2024, Fritzmann2002
2. Cratoxylum formosum, 13-OCT-2024, Fritzmann2002
3. Cratoxylum maingayi, 13-OCT-2024, Fritzmann2002
4. Cratoxylum sumatranum, 13-OCT-2024, Fritzmann2002
5. Harungana montana, 13-OCT-2024, Fritzmann2002
6. Fissidens hydropogon, 14-OCT-2024, Ethmostigmus
7. Crinum americanum, 16-OCT-2024, Eucalyptusmint
8. Psorospermum febrifugum, 16-OCT-2024, Fritzmann2002
9. Digitalis isabelliana, 16-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
10. Digitalis chalcantha, 16-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
11. Aster glehnii, 16-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
12. Aster ageratoides, 16-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
13. Lupinus exaltatus, 16-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
14. Clematis viridiflora, 16-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
15. Symphyotrichum turbinellum, 17-OCT-2024, Eewilson
16. Symphyotrichum fontinale, 18-OCT-2024, Eewilson
17. Artemisia gmelinii, 18-OCT-2024, Eucalyptusmint
18. Symphyotrichum foliaceum, 18-OCT-2024, Eewilson
19. Aquilegia atrata, 18-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
20. Penstemon acuminatus, 18-OCT-2024, MtBotany
21. Symphyotrichum parviceps, 19-OCT-2024, Eewilson
22. Symphyotrichum rhiannon, 19-OCT-2024, Eewilson
23. Hyacinthoides mauritanica, 19-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
24. Anthurium lentii, 19-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
25. Aster tonglingensis, 19-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
26. Lavandula pubescens, 19-OCT-2024, ArthurTheGardener
27. Penstemon albomarginatus, 19-OCT-2024, MtBotany
28. Amaranthus graecizans, 20-OCT-2024, Eewilson
29. Aquilegia atrovinosa, 20-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
30. Bromus alopecuros, 20-OCT-2024 Pagliaccious
31. Bromus anomalus, 20-OCT-2024 Pagliaccious
32. Bromus arenarius, 20-OCT-2024 Pagliaccious
33. Aquilegia bernardii, 20-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
34. Bromus arizonicus, 21-OCT-2024, Pagliaccious
35. Bromus berteroanus, 21-OCT-2024, Pagliaccious
36. Psorospermum androsaemifolium 21-OCT-2024 Fritzmann2002
37. Frullania polysticta, 22-OCT-2024, Ethmostigmus
38. Aquilegia blecicii, 22-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
39. Impatiens serusiauxii, 22-Oct-2024, Esculenta
40. Aquilegia alpina, 23-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
41. Symphyotrichum adnatum, 23-OCT-2024, Eewilson
42. Symphyotrichum eulae, 23-OCT-2024, Eewilson
43. Astragalus succumbens, 23-OCT-2024, Eewilson
44. Drepanolejeunea senticosa, 23-OCT-2024, Esculenta
45. Caudalejeunea grolleana, 23-OCT-2024, Esculenta
46. Colura irrorata, 23-OCT-2024, Esculenta
47. Lejeunea drehwaldii, 23-OCT-2024, Esculenta
48. Aquilegia barbaricina, 24-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
49. Symphyotrichum simmondsii, 24-OCT-2024, Eewilson
50. Symphyotrichum sericeum, 24-OCT-2024, Eewilson
51. Astragalus zionis 24-OCT-2024 Fritzmann2002
52. Penstemon anguineus, 24-OCT-2024, MtBotany
53. Penstemon angustifolius, 24-OCT-2024, MtBotany
54. Aquilegia bertolonii, 25-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
55. Spruceanthus theobromae, 25-OCT-2024, Esculenta
56. Vismia baccifera 25-OCT-2024 Fritzmann2002
57. Radula demissa, 25-OCT-2024, Esculenta
58. Radula jonesii, 25-OCT-2024, Esculenta
59. Radula visianica, 25-OCT-2024, Esculenta
60. Radula perrottetii, 25-OCT-2024, Esculenta
61. Symphyotrichum schaffneri, 25-OCT-2024, Eewilson
62. Symphyotrichum concolor, 25-OCT-2024, Eewilson
63. Marchantia quadrata, 25-OCT-2024, Esculenta
64. Symphyotrichum anomalum, 26-OCT-2024, Eewilson
65. Aquilegia buergeriana, 26-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
66. Penstemon australis, 26-OCT-2024, MtBotany
67. Picconia excelsa, 27-OCT-2024, Ethmostigmus
68. Aquilegia champagnatii, 27-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
69. Artemisia aleutica, 27-OCT-2024, Eucalyptusmint
70. Eucalyptus piperita, 27-OCT-2024, Eewilson
71. Abelia chinensis, 27-OCT-2024, Eewilson
72. Symphyotrichum undulatum, 28-OCT-2024, Eewilson
73. Anthocleista laxiflora, 28-OCT-2024, Ethmostigmus
74. Aquilegia chrysantha, 28-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
75. Arum italicum, 28-OCT-2024, Eewilson
76. Boerhavia coccinea, 28-OCT-2024, Eewilson
77. Cakile maritima, 28-OCT-2024, Eewilson
78. Aquilegia flabellata, 29-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
79. Penstemon azureus, 29-OCT-2024, MtBotany
80. Carpobrotus rossii, 30-OCT-2024, Eewilson
81. Casearia tomentosa, 30-OCT-2024, Eewilson
82. Cephalotaxus hainanensis, 30-OCT-2024, Eewilson
83. Centaurea gymnocarpa, 30-OCT-2024, Eewilson
84. Schistochila macrodonta, 30-OCT-2024, Esculenta
85. Trichocolea tomentella, 30-OCT-2024, Esculenta
86. Penstemon barbatus, 30-OCT-2024, MtBotany
87. Aquilegia desertorum, 31-OCT-2024, Jacketpocket
88. Ficus microcarpa, 31-OCT-2024, Eewilson
89. Penstemon barnebyi, 31-OCT-2024, MtBotany
90. Dolichostachys, 01-NOV-2024, Ethmostigmus
91. Aquilegia desolaticola, 01-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
92. Penstemon bicolor, 01-NOV-2024, MtBotany
93. Penstemon brevisepalus, 01-NOV-2024, MtBotany
94. Solenostoma speciosum, 01-NOV-2024, Esculenta
95. Itea virginica, 01-NOV-2024, Eewilson
96. Nowellia curvifolia, 01-NOV-2024, Esculenta
97. Haesselia roraimensis, 02-NOV-2024, Esculenta
98. Hookeria lucens, 02-NOV-2024, Esculenta
99. Aquilegia ecalcarata, 02-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
100. Symphyotrichum anticostense, 02-NOV-2024, Eewilson
101. Tritomaria ferruginea, 03-NOV-2024, Ethmostigmus
102. Fulfordianthus evansii, 03-NOV-2024, Esculenta
103. Aquilegia einseleana, 03-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
104. Porella platyphylla, 03-NOV-2024, Esculenta
105. Lejeunea hodgsoniana, 03-NOV-2024, Esculenta
106. Phyllanthus urinaria, 03-NOV-2024, Eewilson
107. Phaeoceros carolinianus, 05-NOV-2024, Esculenta
108. Fissidens taxifolius, 05-NOV-2024, Esculenta
109. Penstemon calcareus, 06-NOV-2024, MtBotany
110. Penstemon calycosus, 07-NOV-2024, MtBotany
111. Aquilegia elegantula, 08-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
112. Sphagnum wulfianum, 08-NOV-2024, Esculenta
113. Aquilegia eximia, 09-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
114. Sphagnum squarrosum, 09-NOV-2024, Esculenta
115. Campylopus bicolor, 09-NOV-2024, Esculenta
116. Aquilegia flavescens, 09-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
117. Penstemon canescens, 09-NOV-2024, MtBotany
118. Aquilegia fragrans, 10-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
119. Aquilegia glandulosa, 11-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
120. Sphagnum rubellum, 12-NOV-2024, Esculenta
121. Artemisia furcata, 12-NOV-2024, Eucalyptusmint
122. Sphagnum quinquefarium, 12-NOV-2024, Esculenta
123. Sphagnum girgensohnii, 13-NOV-2024, Esculenta
124. Aquilegia grata, 13-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
125. Aquilegia incurvata, 13-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
126. Aquilegia karatavica, 13-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
127. Sphagnum fimbriatum, 13-NOV-2024, Esculenta
128. Penstemon centranthifolius, 13-NOV-2024, MtBotany
129. Sphagnum platyphyllum, 14-NOV-2024, Esculenta
130. Nepenthes tenax, 14-NOV-2024, Esculenta
131. Fissidens dubius, 14-NOV-2024, Esculenta
132. Solanum bellum, 14-NOV-2024, Esculenta
133. Aquilegia longissima, 14-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
134. Fissidens usambaricus, 14-NOV-2024, Esculenta
135. Penstemon cinicola, 14-NOV-2024, MtBotany
136. Aquilegia nigricans, 15-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
137. Penstemon clevelandii, 15-NOV-2024, MtBotany
138. Penstemon cobaea, 15-NOV-2024, MtBotany
139. Aquilegia micrantha var. grahamii, 16-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
140. Penstemon comarrhenus, 16-NOV-2024, MtBotany
141. Penstemon cyaneus, 16-NOV-2024, MtBotany
142. Canavalia hawaiiensis, 16-NOV-2024, MtBotany
143. Aquilegia nuragica, 17-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
144. Aquilegia olympica, 17-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
145. Aquilegia aurea, 18-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
146. Sphagnum angustifolium, 19-NOV-2024, Esculenta
147. Penstemon cyanocaulis, 20-NOV-2024, MtBotany
148. Penstemon davidsonii, 21-NOV-2024, MtBotany
149. Penstemon deustus, 22-NOV-2024, MtBotany
150. Penstemon eatonii, 23-NOV-2024, MtBotany
151. Aquilegia ottonis, 23-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
152. Penstemon filiformis, 23-NOV-2024, MtBotany
153. Aquilegia pubescens, 24-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
154. Aquilegia rockii, 24-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
155. Castilleja ecuadorensis, 24-NOV-2024, MtBotany
156. Aquilegia skinneri, 25-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
157. Aquilegia viridiflora, 26-NOV-2024, Jacketpocket
158. Penstemon floridus, 27-NOV-2024, MtBotany
159. Riccia atlantica, 28-NOV-2024, Esculenta
160. Coreopsis bakeri, 28-NOV-2024, Cayuga3
161. Coreopsis nuecensis, 28-NOV-2024, Cayuga3
162. Bidens bidentoides, 29-NOV-2024, Cayuga3
163. Bidens bigelovii, 29-NOV-2024, Cayuga3
164. Bidens leptocephala, 29-NOV-2024, Cayuga3
165. Bazzania bhutanica, 30-NOV-2024, Ethmostigmus
166. Bidens discoidea, 30-NOV-2024, Cayuga3
167. Cosmos parviflorus, 01-DEC-2024, Cayuga3
168. Bidens heterosperma, 01-DEC-2024, Cayuga3
169. Thelesperma megapotamicum, 03-DEC-2024 Cayuga3
170. Crocus chrysanthus, 04-DEC-2024 Eewilson
171. Thelesperma nuecense, 04-DEC-2024 Cayuga3
172. Thelesperma simplicifolium, 04-DEC-2024 Cayuga3
173. Noteroclada confluens, 06-DEC-2024, Esculenta
174. Bidens aristosa, 06-DEC-2024, Cayuga3
175. Cornus foemina, 11-DEC-2024, Eewilson
176. Scaevola gaudichaudii, 14-DEC-2024, Eewilson
177. Aa calceata, 15-DEC-2024, Cayuga3
178. Leptopyrum, 16-DEC-2024, Jacketpocket
179. Aa aurantiaca, 19-DEC-2024, Cayuga3