Verifying against the live site and live WHOIS/DNS…
Common questions
Is vplants.org legit or a scam?
vplants.org was registered Oct 9, 2000 (26 years old), per public registration records. AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns vplants.org?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for vplants.org. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
When was vplants.org registered?
vplants.org's registration dates to Oct 9, 2000 (26 years old), per public registration records. Network Solutions, LLC is the registrar on record today.
Correct a description, link or other detail. Submissions are reviewed before publication.
Lifeline · vplants.org over time
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
Registered 26 years ago · on AboutUs since 2006 · one registrar since Jan 25, 2017 · 1 registrant change since 2017 · last checked Nov 11, 2026.
Registration
RegisteredOct 9, 2000vplants.org was registered on Oct 9, 2000.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 11, 2026
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageAboutUs wiki pageJun 21, 2006 – Nov 11, 2013An AboutUs wiki page described vplants.org from Jun 21, 2006 to Nov 11, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023Said about itself in 2006Jul 1, 2006“Three major botanical institutions, the Field Museum of Natural History, The Morton Arboretum, and the Chicago Botanic Garden have developed an online, searchable database (vPlants or “virtual Plants”) that provides fre…”
Registrar
Network Solutions, LLCNetwork Solutions, LLCJan 25, 2017 – Nov 5, 2026 (latest)Registrar Network Solutions, LLC (IANA 2) in the registration data recorded, first on Jan 25, 2017 and most recently on Nov 5, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 11, 2026
Registrant
Registrant recordsJan 25, 2017 – Jan 12, 2026Registration records for vplants.org are held from Jan 25, 2017 to Jan 12, 2026 (25 records). 1 change of registrant name or organization is marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes, renames of the same organization and new contacts at it are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Zone file
No nameserver records held, Feb 2017 – Jul 2018No nameserver records held, Jan 2026 – Nov 2026Nameservers: xnet.comJan 25, 2017 – Feb 2, 2017Registration records listed xnet.com nameservers (ns1.xnet.com, ns2.xnet.com) for vplants.org from Jan 25, 2017 to Feb 2, 2017.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Certificate
Let's EncryptMay 24, 2026 – Nov 13, 2026 (latest)Let's Encrypt issued 3 certificates for vplants.org from May 24, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 10, 2027. Seen in use on Nov 7, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Nov 7, 2026
20102020Jan ’26Oct ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (11)
Oct 9, 2000Registration: vplants.org was registered on Oct 9, 2000.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 11, 2026
Jun 21, 2006 – Nov 11, 2013AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described vplants.org from Jun 21, 2006 to Nov 11, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Jul 1, 2006AboutUs record: “Three major botanical institutions, the Field Museum of Natural History, The Morton Arboretum, and the Chicago Botanic Garden have developed an online, searchable database (vPlants or “virtual Plants”) that provides fre…”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Jan 25, 2017 – Nov 5, 2026Registrar: Registrar Network Solutions, LLC (IANA 2) in the registration data recorded, first on Jan 25, 2017 and most recently on Nov 5, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Nov 11, 2026
Jan 25, 2017 – Jan 12, 2026Registrant: Registration records for vplants.org are held from Jan 25, 2017 to Jan 12, 2026 (25 records). 1 change of registrant name or organization is marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes, renames of the same organization and new contacts at it are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Current AboutUs recordJul 4, 2026 – Nov 11, 2026 (latest)Authority and Safety last refreshed Nov 11, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Registrant change
Jul 23, 2020
The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Jul 23, 2020. That can be a rename, a new contact or a sale; the record alone does not say which.
Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
1 registrant change, 2017–2026
Nameservers: worldnic.com
Nameservers: worldnic.comJul 28, 2018 – Jan 12, 2026Registration records listed worldnic.com nameservers (ns49.worldnic.com, ns50.worldnic.com) for vplants.org from Jul 28, 2018 to Jan 12, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
DNS moved to worldnic.comJul 28, 2018vplants.org's nameservers moved from xnet.com to worldnic.com at some point between Feb 2, 2017 and Jul 28, 2018. Last seen at xnet.com: Feb 2, 2017 (registration record). First seen at worldnic.com: Jul 28, 2018 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the 18 months in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Jan 25, 2017 – Feb 2, 2017
Zone file: Registration records listed xnet.com nameservers (ns1.xnet.com, ns2.xnet.com) for vplants.org from Jan 25, 2017 to Feb 2, 2017.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Jul 28, 2018 – Jan 12, 2026Zone file: Registration records listed worldnic.com nameservers (ns49.worldnic.com, ns50.worldnic.com) for vplants.org from Jul 28, 2018 to Jan 12, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Jul 28, 2018Zone file: vplants.org's nameservers moved from xnet.com to worldnic.com at some point between Feb 2, 2017 and Jul 28, 2018. Last seen at xnet.com: Feb 2, 2017 (registration record). First seen at worldnic.com: Jul 28, 2018 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the 18 months in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Jul 23, 2020Registrant: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Jul 23, 2020. That can be a rename, a new contact or a sale; the record alone does not say which.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
May 24, 2026 – Nov 13, 2026Certificate: Let's Encrypt issued 3 certificates for vplants.org from May 24, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 10, 2027. Seen in use on Nov 7, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Nov 7, 2026
Jul 4, 2026 – Nov 11, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Nov 11, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Registered 2000 · site is live · HTTPS valid
Vplants.org
The vPlants Project Three major botanical institutions, the Field Museum of Natural History, The Morton Arboretum, and the Chicago Botanic Garden have developed an online, searchable database (vPlants or “virtual Plants”) that provides free plant specimen data and digital images of specimens to anyone with Internet access.
Authority 50/100— ahead of 50% of the August 2026 scored sampleClear
Why this authority score
50 is a percentile: higher than 50% of sites we score.
How it's calculated
Prominence (Tranco rank #287,577)+5
Verified continuity: 26.1 years (RDAP registration)+11
Security & email hygiene+3
Calibration adjustment (published map)+8
Model score: 27/99 — what these reason lines add up to.
Published Authority (percentile): 50/100 — this site's rank against the August 2026 scored sample. Public Authority is capped at 99.
Safety evidence
No unexpired threat-feed result; name-similarity check available (recorded about 2 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 2 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
What vplants.org said about itself, 2006
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2006
Three major botanical institutions, the Field Museum of Natural History, The Morton Arboretum, and the Chicago Botanic Garden have developed an online, searchable database (vPlants or “virtual Plants”) that provides free plant specimen data and digital images of specimens to anyone with Internet access.
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date.