Species Name Validation

Overview

The Species Name Validation API ensures data quality in plant schedules and botanical datasets by resolving complete name strings against a pinned APC/APNI backbone and 11 global taxonomic sources. It preserves authorship, ranks, hybrids, cultivars, and phrase names.

Plant schedule validation before procurement
Data quality assurance in botanical datasets
Taxonomic standardization across different data sources
Compliance verification for landscape projects

How It Works

Multi-Source Validation with Consensus Scoring

The API queries APC/APNI and 11 botanical databases in parallel and consolidates authoritative results into one unified taxonomic record.

Parallel Database Search

APC/APNI and the 11 existing taxonomic databases are queried simultaneously for each name, unless you provide an explicit sources list.

Consensus Scoring

Results are consolidated using an algorithm that favours authoritative sources to determine the accepted scientific name.

Review Suggestions

A name with zero authoritative matches may receive an AI suggestion. It remains not_found; the suggestion cannot affect consensus or species identity.

Unified Record

Each species receives a single unified taxonomic record with validation status, accepted name, taxonomy, cross-references, and quality score.

Interpreting APC/APNI Results

APC/APNI resolution is intentionally conservative:

An exact accepted name or explicit synonym link can be returned as validated.
A spelling correction, APNI-only name, higher-taxon fallback, taxonomic split, or disagreement is returned as uncertain and sets review_required: true.
When more than one taxon is plausible, inspect alternatives; the API does not silently choose a review-required result.
Record backbone_version and resolver_version if the resolution needs to be reproduced or audited later.

Validation Status

Each species name receives a clear validation status based on source consensus:

Validated

High confidenceMultiple sources agree, or APC provides an exact accepted-name or explicit synonym link. Ready for use in plant schedules.

Uncertain

Medium confidenceSome sources matched but with disagreements or only inexact matches. Requires review.

Not Found

Low confidenceNo matches found in any database. Name likely needs correction.

Quality Score

Every record includes a quality score (0.0-1.0) based on how many sources agree, how complete the taxonomic data is, and how many cross-reference IDs were found.

Common Use Cases

Plant Schedule Validation

The primary use case is validating botanical names in plant schedules before procurement:

curl -X POST https://api.superseeded.ai/v1/verify/plant-names \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "species_names": [
      "Eucalyptus globulus",
      "Acacia melanoxylon",
      "Banksia integrifolia"
    ]
  }'

The response provides a clear validation summary:

Validated: Proceed with confidence
Uncertain: Flag for expert review
Not found: Require correction before procurement

File Upload Validation

Upload an entire plant schedule for batch validation:

curl -X POST https://api.superseeded.ai/v1/verify/plant-names \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_..." \
  -F "file=@landscape_plant_schedule.xlsx" \
  -F "extraction_column=Botanical Name"

Data Quality Assurance

For botanical datasets, validation identifies questionable entries:

{
  "species_names": [
    "Eucalyptus globulus",
    "Eucalyptus globular",
    "Unknown species xyz"
  ]
}

Eucalyptus globulus — Validated across multiple sources
Eucalyptus globular — conservative resolution or an AI review suggestion may identify the intended spelling
Unknown species xyz — Returned as not found with warnings

Data Sources

Authoritative Taxonomic Databases

APC/APNI

Australian Plant Census / Australian Plant Name IndexPinned accepted names, synonym links, nomenclature, and conservative spelling alignment.

TNRS (WFO)

World Flora OnlineTaxonomic name validation and resolution.

POWO

Royal Botanic Gardens, KewAuthoritative plant taxonomy and accepted names.

GBIF

Global Biodiversity Information FacilityLargest biodiversity database with vernacular names.

ALA

Atlas of Living AustraliaAustralian-specific plant data and occurrences.

Enrichment Sources

iNaturalist

Community science observations and photos.

EOL

Encyclopedia of Life — species descriptions.

IP Australia PBR

Plant Breeders Rights and variety protection.

UPOV

International plant variety protection codes.

Knowledge Bases

WikiSpecies

Wikimedia species directory.

Wikidata

Structured data and images.

Wikipedia

General information and taxonomy.

AI Fallback

AI Correction

Suggestion only — Used when all authoritative sources return no match.Suggestions always set review_required: true, do not validate a name, and are never written to canonical species identity.

Source Roles

The consensus algorithm prioritises authoritative taxonomic databases when determining the accepted name:

Source	Role
APC/APNI	Australian accepted names, synonyms, and nomenclature
TNRS (WFO)	Taxonomic authority
POWO (Kew)	Botanical authority
GBIF	Biodiversity database
ALA	Regional authority (AU)
IP Australia	Cultivar authority
UPOV	Variety authority
iNaturalist	Observations
Wikidata	Structured data
WikiSpecies	Species directory
EOL	Encyclopedia
Wikipedia	General reference

Integration Patterns

Frontend Integration

The API implements the same validation logic as the SuperSeeded web application:

const response = await fetch('/v1/verify/plant-names', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': 'sk_...',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    species_names: ['Eucalyptus globulus', 'Acacia melanoxylon']
  })
});

const { results, summary } = await response.json();
console.log(`${summary.validated}/${summary.total} names validated`);

Batch Processing

Small Datasets (< 100 species)
Large Datasets (100+ species)

{
  "species_names": ["Species 1", "Species 2", "..."]
}

Direct JSON submission for quick validation.

curl -X POST https://api.superseeded.ai/v1/verify/plant-names \
  -H "X-API-Key: sk_..." \
  -F "file=@large_species_list.xlsx"

File upload for efficient batch processing.

Workflow Integration

Upload Plant Schedule

Designer uploads Excel/CSV file with botanical names.

Validate Species Names

API queries 11 databases and consolidates results with consensus scoring.

Review Flagged Items

System highlights uncertain or not-found names for expert review, with suggested corrections from the AI fallback.

Proceed with Procurement

Validated schedule with accepted names, families, and cross-references proceeds to availability checking.

Error Handling

API Rate Limits: Each species name counts as 1 usage unit. Monitor your usage to avoid hitting rate limits.

Source Failures: If individual sources are unavailable, the API gracefully degrades and returns results from the remaining sources. Validation status reflects the available data.

Error Response Examples

{
  "detail": "No valid species names found in input"
}

{
  "detail": "API Key usage limit exceeded"
}

​Overview

​How It Works

​Multi-Source Validation with Consensus Scoring

​Interpreting APC/APNI Results

​Validation Status

Validated

Uncertain

Not Found

​Quality Score

​Common Use Cases

​Plant Schedule Validation

​File Upload Validation

​Data Quality Assurance

​Data Sources

​Authoritative Taxonomic Databases

APC/APNI

TNRS (WFO)

POWO

GBIF

ALA

​Enrichment Sources

iNaturalist

EOL

IP Australia PBR

UPOV

​Knowledge Bases

WikiSpecies

Wikidata

Wikipedia

​AI Fallback

AI Correction

​Source Roles

​Integration Patterns

​Frontend Integration

​Batch Processing

​Workflow Integration

​Error Handling

​Error Response Examples

​Next Steps

API Reference

Integration Examples

Overview

How It Works

Multi-Source Validation with Consensus Scoring

Interpreting APC/APNI Results

Validation Status

Quality Score

Common Use Cases

Plant Schedule Validation

File Upload Validation

Data Quality Assurance

Data Sources

Authoritative Taxonomic Databases

Enrichment Sources

Knowledge Bases

AI Fallback

Source Roles

Integration Patterns

Frontend Integration

Batch Processing

Workflow Integration

Error Handling

Error Response Examples

Next Steps