how many species of plants are there in the w...

February 15, 2026

Scientists estimate there are roughly 390,000–400,000 known plant species on Earth, with the count still rising by about 1,500–2,000 new species described each year.

Quick Scoop: The Big Number

Most modern assessments focus on vascular plants (those with specialized tissues for transporting water and nutrients).
Key figures from major global checklists and assessments are:

Around 390,000–391,000 known vascular plant species worldwide.

Of these, about 369,000–369,400 are flowering plants (angiosperms) – over 90% of all vascular plants.

A detailed taxonomic count found about 374,000 accepted plant species when including major non-vascular groups (algae, mosses, liverworts, etc.).

One global synthesis suggests 352,000–357,000 “higher” plant species (seed plants and their close relatives), noting some uncertainty due to how species are split or lumped.

Because different research groups use slightly different datasets and taxonomic opinions, you’ll often see estimates stated as a range rather than a single exact figure.

Why The Numbers Differ

Plant species counts are tricky for a few reasons:

Taxonomic overlap: The same plant can be described under different names; later work merges those names as synonyms, reducing the total.

Different definitions of “species”: Some botanists “split” groups into many species, others “lump” them into fewer, leading to a tolerance of about ±10,000 species in some estimates.

New discoveries: Around 2,000 new plant species are described each year , especially in biodiversity-rich countries like Brazil, Australia and China.

Data gaps: Some regions and plant groups are still poorly studied, so more species almost certainly remain undescribed.

An example: one frequently cited Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew report gave about 391,000 vascular plant species , while a separate detailed taxonomic compilation arrived at approximately 374,000 accepted plant species across groups.

Mini Breakdown by Major Groups

One influential count split known plants roughly as follows:

About 308,000+ vascular plants (including flowering plants, ferns, gymnosperms, etc.).

Roughly 295,000 flowering plants (angiosperms).

Smaller groups such as ferns, lycophytes, mosses, and liverworts each contribute thousands more species.

Other syntheses focusing just on vascular plants give a slightly higher figure around 390,000–391,000 , underscoring that these are best estimates , not the final word.

The Trend Going Forward

The real number of plant species (described plus still-unknown) is likely well above 400,000 , according to biodiversity databases that compare known species to modeling estimates.

At the same time, about one in five plant species is estimated to be threatened with extinction , which means the catalog is changing not only because of new discoveries but also because of ongoing losses.

So, if you’re looking for a single headline figure to use today, a good, evidence-based way to phrase it is:

There are on the order of 390,000–400,000 known plant species on Earth , most of them flowering plants, and scientists continue to discover around a couple thousand new ones each year.

Information gathered from public data and reports available on the internet and portrayed here.