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Anybody with a question and a computer can get plant information free now that the University of Minnesota has opened its online plant information database to the public.

The database, previously accessible only by subscribers, is one of the world's largest collections of information and images for botanical and horticultural and plant enthusiasts and scholars.

Called Plant Information Online, the database dates to the 1970s when it was an unpublished collection of printed resources. It was printed for the first time in 1976 and converted to a subscription-based web site in 1997.

The site at plantinfo.umn.edu/arboretum/default.asp features information on where to buy plants and seeds, links to more than 2,000 North American seed and nursery farms, more than 300,000 citations to plants in science and garden magazines and books, and links to expert-selected websites on growing plants in all regions of the United States and Canada.

Tim Harlow • harlow@startribune.com