Sample Queries
These queries illustrate the power of the Semantic MediaWiki query language ("semantic search") and the Semantic MediaWiki query interfaces to extract data stored by the Flora of North America Semantic MediaWiki.
Click here to access the Semantic search query interface directly.
Queries by Subject
Taxonomy
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All Taxa in the Online FNA | Taxon rank (see allowed values) | [[Taxon rank::+]]
|
Try it! | R script | |
All Species in the Online FNA | Taxon rank (see allowed values) | [[Taxon rank::species]]
|
Try it! | R script | |
List of Lower Taxa | Taxon parent | [[Taxon parent::Carex]]
|
Try it! | In the genus Carex,... further results | R script |
List of Sections | Taxon family (see allowed values)
Taxon rank (see allowed values) |
[[Taxon family::Asteraceae]] [[Taxon rank::section]]
|
Try it! | Sections in the family Asteraceae,... further results | R script |
Distribution
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxa occurring in Non-Abbreviated State or Province (i.e., Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Nunavut, Ohio, Yukon) | Distribution (see allowed values and Distribution Abbreviations) | [[Distribution::Nunavut]]
|
Try it! | Taxa occurring in Nunavut,... further results | R script |
Taxa occurring in Abbreviated State or Province | Distribution (see allowed values and Distribution Abbreviations) | [[Distribution::Ont.]]
|
Try it! | Taxa occurring in Ontario,... further results | R script |
Publication Details
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxa by Authority | Authority | [[Authority::Linnaeus]]
|
Try it! | Taxa described by Linnaeus,... further results | R script |
Taxa by Publication Title | Publication title | [[Publication title::Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts]]
|
Try it! | R script | |
Taxa by Publication Year | Publication year | [[Publication year::1990]]
|
Try it! | R script |
You can use comparators with the Publication year property. For example,
Taxa by Publication Year with Comparator | Publication year | [[Publication year::>>1990]]
|
Try it! | Taxa published after 1990,... further results | R script |
Special Status
Due to limitations in data capture, special status data are only available in V3, V6, V9, V12, V17, V28.
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxa by Special Status | Special status (see allowed values) | [[Special status::Introduced]]
|
Try it! | Introduced species,... further results | R script |
Illustrations
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All Illustrated Taxa in the Online FNA | Illustrator (see allowed values) | [[Illustrator::+]][[Illustration::Present]]
|
Try it! | R script | |
List of Illustrations by Person | Illustrator (see allowed values) | [[Illustrator::Annaliese Miller]][[Illustration::Present]]
|
Try it! | Illustrations by Annaliese Miller,... further results | R script |
Volumes
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Treatments By Volume | Volume (see allowed values) | [[Volume::Volume 17]]
|
Try it! | Treatments published in volume 17,... further results | R script |
Contributors
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Treatments by Author | Author | [[Author::Bruce A. Ford]]
|
Try it! | Treatments authored by Bruce A. Ford,... further results | R script |
Morphology
A property browser is in development to facilitate the exploration of the morphological properties. Here are a few sample queries to illustrate the power of parsed morphological data derived from FNA treatments.
Properties Used | Query Syntax | Query Interface | Query Results | Query the API | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxa by corolla coloration | Corolla coloration (explore available values) | [[Corolla coloration::yellow]]
|
Try it! | Taxa with yellow corolla coloration,... further results | R script |
Taxa by leaf arrangement | Leaf arrangement (explore available values) | [[Leaf arrangement::alternate]]
|
Try it! | Taxa with alternate leaf arrangement,... further results | R script |
Taxa by blade shape | Blade shape (explore available values) | [[Blade shape::elliptic]]
|
Try it! | Taxa with elliptic blade shape,... further results | R script |
Advanced Queries
Composite Queries
You can combine any query elements from the above subjects to create a custom search.
For example,
Taxa with authority Linnaeus that occur in Nunavut | [[Authority::Linnaeus]][[Distribution::Nunavut]]
|
Introduced species published in volume 3 | [[Special status::Introduced]][[Volume::Volume 3]]
|
Taxa published before 1754 in the family Cyperaceae | [[Publication year::<<1754]][[Taxon family::Cyperaceae]]
|
Comparators
You can use comparators with the Publication year property. (e.g., >
, <
, ≥
).
Return More Information
You can return as many additional properties as you wish:
Query interface | Query the API |
---|---|
Add property names to the Additional data to display box | Add properties using the |? syntax:
|
Write Your Own Queries
Click here to access the Semantic search query interface directly.
Note that:
- The limit on the number of results returned can be changed
- You can only export what is displayed on the page (JSON, CSV, RSS, RDF)
- Page through the results to download each batch
Why use the API convenience scripts?
- For big queries, it may be cumbersome to download each batch of 500 results separately and then merge the results.
- If you are performing your analyses in R or Python, you may wish to embed the data extraction here, so that it can be easily re-run.
Access the convenience scripts here: https://github.com/jocelynpender/fna-query
Query Resources
Semantic MediaWiki Query Syntax
https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Semantic_search
https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Search_operators
Merging Multiple CSV Files
R script for merging multiple CSV files.
Working with APIs
Convenience scripts
https://github.com/jocelynpender/fna-query
Python
https://mwclient.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html
R
https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/WikipediR/WikipediR.pdf