> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api.superseeded.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Taxonomic Sources
> Returns metadata about all 12 taxonomic data sources used by the species validation system, including authority weights and cache durations. No authentication required.
List all available taxonomic data sources used by the species validation system, including their authority weights and cache durations.
## Overview
This endpoint returns metadata about the 12 taxonomic sources used by the `/v1/verify/plant-names` endpoint. Use it to understand which databases are queried, their relative authority in the consensus algorithm, and how long results are cached.
## Request
```bash theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
curl https://api.superseeded.ai/v1/sources/taxonomic
```
No authentication or request body required.
## Response
Array of source metadata objects.
Source identifier used in the `sources` filter parameter of `/v1/verify/plant-names`.
Human-readable source name.
Brief description of the source.
Weight (0.0-1.0) used in the consensus scoring algorithm. Higher values indicate more authoritative sources.
How long results from this source are cached, in hours.
If `true`, this source is only queried when all other sources return no match. Only applies to Gemini AI.
Total number of available sources.
## Example Response
```json theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
{
"sources": [
{
"id": "tnrs",
"name": "Taxonomic Name Resolution Service (WFO)",
"description": "World Flora Online taxonomic authority",
"authority_weight": 1.0,
"cache_ttl_hours": 720
},
{
"id": "powo",
"name": "Plants of the World Online",
"description": "Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew",
"authority_weight": 0.95,
"cache_ttl_hours": 72
},
{
"id": "gbif",
"name": "Global Biodiversity Information Facility",
"description": "Largest biodiversity database",
"authority_weight": 0.85,
"cache_ttl_hours": 24
},
{
"id": "ala",
"name": "Atlas of Living Australia",
"description": "Australian biodiversity data",
"authority_weight": 0.8,
"cache_ttl_hours": 72
},
{
"id": "inaturalist",
"name": "iNaturalist",
"description": "Community science observations",
"authority_weight": 0.7,
"cache_ttl_hours": 48
},
{
"id": "ip_australia",
"name": "IP Australia Plant Breeders Rights",
"description": "Australian plant variety protection",
"authority_weight": 0.75,
"cache_ttl_hours": 168
},
{
"id": "upov",
"name": "UPOV Plant Variety Database",
"description": "International plant variety protection",
"authority_weight": 0.75,
"cache_ttl_hours": 168
},
{
"id": "eol",
"name": "Encyclopedia of Life",
"description": "Comprehensive species information",
"authority_weight": 0.6,
"cache_ttl_hours": 72
},
{
"id": "wikidata",
"name": "Wikidata",
"description": "Structured knowledge base",
"authority_weight": 0.65,
"cache_ttl_hours": 168
},
{
"id": "wikispecies",
"name": "WikiSpecies",
"description": "Wikimedia species directory",
"authority_weight": 0.6,
"cache_ttl_hours": 168
},
{
"id": "wikipedia",
"name": "Wikipedia",
"description": "General encyclopedia",
"authority_weight": 0.55,
"cache_ttl_hours": 168
},
{
"id": "gemini",
"name": "Google Gemini AI",
"description": "AI-powered fallback for unresolvable names (requires API key)",
"authority_weight": 0.5,
"cache_ttl_hours": 240,
"fallback_only": true
}
],
"total": 12
}
```
## Source Authority Weights
Sources are ranked by authority in the consensus algorithm:
| Source | Weight | Role |
| ------------ | ------ | ----------------------- |
| TNRS (WFO) | 1.00 | Taxonomic authority |
| POWO (Kew) | 0.95 | Botanical authority |
| GBIF | 0.85 | Biodiversity database |
| ALA | 0.80 | Regional authority (AU) |
| IP Australia | 0.75 | Cultivar authority |
| UPOV | 0.75 | Variety authority |
| iNaturalist | 0.70 | Observations |
| Wikidata | 0.65 | Structured data |
| WikiSpecies | 0.60 | Species directory |
| EOL | 0.60 | Encyclopedia |
| Wikipedia | 0.55 | General reference |
| Gemini AI | 0.50 | AI fallback (only) |
## Cache Strategy
Each source has a cache TTL tuned to its update frequency:
* **24 hours**: GBIF (observation data updates frequently)
* **48 hours**: iNaturalist (observation counts change regularly)
* **72 hours**: POWO, ALA, EOL (taxonomy relatively stable)
* **7 days**: IP Australia, UPOV, WikiSpecies, Wikidata, Wikipedia (data changes infrequently)
* **10 days**: Gemini AI (AI-generated data, stable period)
* **30 days**: TNRS/WFO (authoritative taxonomy, changes rarely)
## OpenAPI
````yaml GET /sources/taxonomic
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
title: Superseeded API
description: >-
Modern nursery industry API for reconciling plant specifications, resolving
equivalence and assessing logistical risks for plant stock.
version: 1.0.0
license:
name: MIT
contact:
name: Superseeded Support
servers:
- url: https://api.superseeded.ai/v1
description: Production Server
security: []
tags:
- name: Resolvers
description: Endpoints for cleaning, normalizing, and interpreting messy nursery data.
- name: Validation
description: >-
Endpoints for validating botanical species names against taxonomic
databases.
- name: Flowers
description: >-
Search flowers by color using spectral reflectance data from the Floral
Reflectance Database (FReD).
- name: System
description: Health checks and service status.
- name: Images
description: Resolve public catalog image URLs for storefront and product integrations.
paths:
/sources/taxonomic:
get:
tags:
- Validation
summary: List Taxonomic Sources
description: >-
Returns metadata about all 12 taxonomic data sources used by the species
validation system, including authority weights and cache durations. No
authentication required.
operationId: listTaxonomicSources
responses:
'200':
description: List of taxonomic sources
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/TaxonomicSourcesResponse'
components:
schemas:
TaxonomicSourcesResponse:
type: object
properties:
sources:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/TaxonomicSource'
total:
type: integer
description: Total number of available sources
example:
sources:
- id: tnrs
name: Taxonomic Name Resolution Service (WFO)
description: World Flora Online taxonomic authority
authority_weight: 1
cache_ttl_hours: 720
total: 12
TaxonomicSource:
type: object
properties:
id:
type: string
description: Source identifier
name:
type: string
description: Human-readable source name
description:
type: string
description: Brief description of the source
authority_weight:
type: number
minimum: 0
maximum: 1
description: Weight in consensus algorithm
cache_ttl_hours:
type: integer
description: Cache duration in hours
fallback_only:
type: boolean
description: >-
If true, only used when all other sources return no match (Gemini AI
only)
````