U-Plant and U-Plant DISCOVER: an open-source database for botanic garden collections management and public engagement

Botanic gardens manage diverse plant collections and associated data that support research, conservation, education, and public engagement. Effective management of these collections requires robust, sustainable, and adaptable databases. Although several documentation solutions are available, they present different challenges: proprietary systems may involve costs, licensing constraints or limited institutional customization; locally developed databases may be difficult to maintain and update over time; spreadsheets may compromise data consistency and reliability. Here, we present U-Plant, a fully open-source database developed to support botanic garden collection management through a web-based interface. U-Plant records accession-level and individual-level data, including taxonomic identity, acquisition and source-locality information, garden location, condition history, and associated documentation. Its companion portal, U-Plant DISCOVER, provides public access to a curated subset of collection data through search tools, maps, and thematic visits, supporting both visitor engagement and external discovery of the collections. We describe the database structure, core functionalities, current implementation, and limitations, and outline priorities for future development, highlighting its potential as an open-source, community-supported database for botanic garden collections. GitHub repository link (U-Plant and U-Plant DISCOVER source code):  https://github.com/Unipisa/U-Plant Database URL (U-Plant DISCOVER):  https://uplantdiscover.sma.unipi.it/.