What’s new?

Shared higher taxonomy

With integration to Plants of the World Online (POWO) for vascular plants and Catalogue of Life (COL) for non-vascular plants, our community can now access shared taxonomic data seamlessly. This allows users to utilise shared factual data, reducing the burden of individual input and maintenance, whilst making taxonomic referencing more efficient.

• See details on genus status, family, and higher classifications on taxa records.
• Choose from a shared list of genera when adding new taxa.
• Filter by family on both list and map views for taxa specific to your site.
• Find family name within CSV downloads for materials, accessions, and taxa.‍

Interpretation fields for taxa

Two new fields have been added to taxon records, allowing you to record a taxon description and natural distribution. The interpretation fields can be enabled/disabled from the Organisation settings page.

When downloading your taxa or plant material lists, the interpretation fields will be included – therefore helping you to create interpretation labels from your data.

Profile & logo image uploads

Personalise your account by uploading your own profile picture, by navigating to the profile settings page. Admins can also upload custom logos for their organisation within the organisation Settings page.

Mass planting

Enable mass planting as an alternative to quantity for your plant materials. You can also filter and sort by mass planted materials in your list and map views.

Custom base maps

You can now add other base map layers or your own custom map layer to Hortis. Easily set a tile URL and a name to your custom map, and use the preview function to visualise and ensure its accuracy. Switch to the new layer whilst browsing the map or positioning of your materials. For more information on XYZ maps, head to this link.

IPEN numbers

IPEN numbers can now be recorded and filtered on the accession. This has been introduced as an "opt-in" field (along with Tag Number), with easy toggle controls for these fields in your Collection Site Settings.

With the new opt-in toggles, you can now choose to hide fields and inputs that are not relevant to your site's specific requirements. This customisation reduces clutter and ensures a more intuitive user experience for sites that do not utilise IPEN numbers or Tag Numbers.

Deactivating users

Admins now have the ability to deactivate users to prevent access to their organisation. Admins can also reactivate a deactivated user's account. Any deactivated users will be visually indicated throughout the app.

Enhanced tag filtering: Now spanning Taxa, Accessions, and Plant Materials

Previously, tags were limited to individual record types, restricting list and map search results to the specific record type where the tag was applied. Now, filter results will show tags applied from all levels, providing a more interconnected view of your plant records.

For example, filtering for a tag applied to a taxon will return the associated accessions and plant materials. Filtering for a tag applied to an accession will return the associated plant materials.

Create new sites

Admins can now create new collection sites from the Settings or Sites page. Whether you manage multiple gardens or facilities, each site can now be easily created and configured with a few clicks.

Better map flows and improvements to managing mapped materials

Introducing a range of new map flows and improvements for that true "maps-first" experience with several improvements, as requested by the community:

• Create new material from map points: Simply click on a point on the map to a new material based on that location.
• Edit metadata of selected map materials: Make quick updates to mapped materials without the need to navigate away from the map view.
• Make observations of selected map materials: Record last observed date, material quality, and follow-up cycle directly from the mapped list.
• Sort the map list by material columns
• View device's position with real-time updates: Real-time updates of your device's position now helps you map your materials with greater ease.
• Highlight material on the map when hovering on the map list: Hover over the material on the map list, to see the corresponding material highlighted on the map, making it easier to identify the location of specific materials.
• Position material using a point's hover menu on the map: Re-position materials more easily with a quick access button shown on the hover menu.

Introducing Taxon Tagging

You can now categorise your taxa with tags. As with Plant Material tags and Accession tags, these allow you to organise your taxa list based on specific characteristics or attributes. Analysing your tagged taxa can also provide insights into (e.g.) the distribution, diversity, or characteristics of specific plant types that exist in your collection.

"Refer and Save" with our new referral program

Refer a friend to Hortis and enjoy mutual benefits. Your referred garden receives a 10% discount on their first invoice, while you receive the same amount off your next renewal. Save even more with each additional referral. To participate, simply log in to Hortis and click on the "Refer & Save" link in the main navigation.

Manage your taxa with local taxonomy

Enhance your taxonomic data as we introduce taxon records, enabling you to record author citations, common names, and notes. Browse all taxa from your organisation or individual collection sites, and enjoy more efficient accessioning. This pivotal milestone also opens up exciting future possibilities for integration with taxonomic datasets.

Full list of new taxonomy-related features:

• Taxon record page with activity log and related accessions and plant materials
• List of taxa for the Organisation and Collection Sites, including searching, sorting & filtering
• Taxon in “breadcrumb” navigation scheme for all records
• Create, update and archive taxa within your organisation
• View activity related to taxa on site dashboards
• Select from your taxa (or add a new taxon) when creating accessions
• Download list of taxa as CSV

Revamped navigation experience

The navigation side bar just got a fresh update. Enjoy a more intuitive and streamlined experience as you find your way around our platform.

New filter for "Material Received"

You can now easily filter your list of accessions based on the type of material received (such as Plant, Seed, Cutting, etc.). Like all of our filters, this can be combined with the search bar for a more powerful search.

Enhanced dashboard with team activity

The dashboard has been enhanced with a new activity card, showing recent record changes to accessions or materials.

You can also see historical counts of records, including changes to your totals compared to the past month. Tap the helper text for more information on how those record totals are calculated.

Starting with a fresh site without any records? Your provenance chart awaits...

Tag settings refresh

We have freshened up the Settings page for Tags. With our new filters, you can manage your Tags more easily by using the tabs to find your Accession or Plant Material Tags.

Material condition filter

Looking for all your materials that are a certain condition? Use our new filter where you can choose one or more conditions to match. Remember, like any of our other filters, you can combine this with the search field.

Delete locations

Deleting locations is now possible in your collection site's Settings. A handy dialog box will also prevent you from deleting the location if there are non-absent materials still assigned at the location. Any location names that have been deleted will show with a strikethrough in the Activity Log of the record.

Add map positions during accessioning

You can now add the position of your materials while accessioning, making it easier to add coordinate data to your material records. This is complemented with a new map preview on plant material records. This shows you where the material is on your map.

Join and leave collection sites

You can now see the list of collection sites that you are a member of, with the option of joining and leaving sites based on your needs.

Update organisation name

Need to make changes to the name of your organisation? You can do so by heading to the organisation general settings page. Note that only Admins have the option to do this.

Improved flow for creating accessions and adding plant materials

The accessioning form now skips the Collection Data screen if your selected Provenance is Garden (G) or Uncertain (U). We have also clarified the steps required to add material, to enable you to get the most out of mapping and adding photographs.

List filters are now retained

Hortis now remembers which Filters you applied to your List, when you navigate in and out of individual records. Remember to tap "Clear Filters" if you want to see your entire List.

Updates to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

In light of joining Species360, we have updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Our commitment remains unchanged to your privacy and dedication to protect you, your data and your experience on the Hortis platform.

Sort accessions and apply filters to narrow your search

You can now filter your accession records based on Provenance, Donor/Supplier, Accession Notes, and even Tags. Sort by different fields to quickly explore your data. Our header menus will also give you quick access to all of the available sorting and filtering actions.

Focus the view of your mapped materials with our new map filters

You can now filter your map markers based on plant material Location, Status, Material Group, Tag Number, Notes, and even Tags. By filtering the visibility of markers, you can probe your collection in a very visual and interactive way. Combine these filters with the search box for an even more powerful mapping experience!

Manage the access permission of your organisation's members

You can now specify "Read-Only", "Editor" and "Admin" permission levels for individuals.

To do this, head to the Members page of your organisation in Settings. As an "Admin", you can invite new members and manage other members' roles within the organisation. As an "Editor", you can create, edit, and delete records, but managing organisational members is not permitted. As a "Read-Only" member, you can only view, search, and filter records (editing records is not permitted).

You can also specify the access permission level when you are inviting new members to your organisation.