While evidence exists that the vascular flora of Alabama is very diverse it remains poorly understood and catalogued. Of the 67 counties in Alabama only eleven have floras or checklists completed and of those only one has been published. Much of the published documentation regarding the flora of Alabama is focused only on certain groups or regions, is taxonomically obsolete, or is no longer in print and although there are several plant guides available, no current statewide list of vascular plants exists for Alabama. The Freeman Herbarium at Auburn University and the Herbaria at the University of Alabama have joined efforts to compile a computerized list of the vascular plants of Alabama based on the collective holdings of both institutions. Other selected references were consulted and included to supplement the data base information. This information has provided us with an estimate of the total number of families, genera and species found to occur in Alabama. We have generated maps showing the numbers of genera and species collected in each county. This information has been invaluable in identifying severely under collected regions of the state and in targeting current collecting activities. Also, a preliminary comparison of species number to land area among southeastern states was performed and we found further evidence that Alabama indeed has a rich and diverse flora in need of further exploration and documentation. With historical collections dating back to 1840, we are beginning to examine how ecological and habitat diversity has changed over the last century and a half. Efforts are also underway at the Freeman Herbarium to create a "virtual herbarium" by making the data base information along with digital images of specimens available on the World Wide Web.

Key words: Alabama, computerized list, data base, flora, herbarium