Basic Plant Identification

First, What type of plant is it?

1.      Woody tall plant – shrub or tree

• Broad leafed  – has leaves and flowers (Angiosperm)
• Evergreen – has needles and cones (Gymnosperm)

2.   Herbs and other plants

• • Monocot or Dicot
    • Monocots have one root, one seed leaf,  parallel veins on leaves, and floral parts such as petals in multiples of three
      1. Bulbed flowers like lilies, daffodils, and irises
      2. Orchids
      3. Grasses
    • Dicots have multiple roots, two seed leaves, palmate veins on leaves, and floral parts in multiples of 4 or 5

3.  Ferns and other plants with spores – including mosses and horsetails (pteridophytes and bryophytes)

4.  Water Plants

Next, what do the leaves look like?

1. Evergreen or deciduous
2. Color
3. Simple (one leaf per stem) or compound (multiple leaflets)
   1. Compound can be pinnate (leaves alternate on stem) or palmate (leaves arise from one central point)
   2. Compound can be alternate, opposite, or whorled
4. Leaf Shape
   1. Needle
   2. Lanceolate (like a lance)
   3. Oblanceolate (oblong)
   4. Elliptical
   5. Spatulate – spatula shaped
   6. Ovate – egg shaped
   7. Cordate – heart shaped
   8. Linear – long, narrow, parallel sides
   9. Trifoliate – three leaves like a clover
   10. Dissected – Many segments, feather like
5. Leaf attachment – petiolate, sessile, or clasping
   1. Petiolate – has a stalk that attaches to the stem
   2. Sessile – attaches directly to the stem
   3. Clasping – wraps around the stem
6. Edges: serrated, lobed, or smooth
7. Veins – palmate (arise from one central point) or parallel

Take a look at the stems; is it…

1. Hairy
2. Striped
3. Spiked

Can’t miss the flowers…

1. Color
2. Bloom month
3. Size
4. Plant type (tree, shrub, vine, wildflower, etc…)
5. Individual flower or cluster (inflorescense)
   1. Spike – flowers have no stalk (sessile).  Youngest flowers at the top.
   2. Raceme – each flower has a stalk (pedicilled).  Youngest flowers at the top.
   3. Panicle – Raceme with a group of flowers instead of just one on a stalk
   1. Corymb – pedicels are differing lengths – flat or round top
   2. Umbel – pedicels arising from a common point with a flat or convex top
   3. Cyme – inflorescense where terminal flowers bloom first
   4. Helicoid cyme – coiled inflorescense
   1. Cluster:  many flowers on one stem
   2. Many flowers arise from one central point
6. Flower shape: symmetrical or irregular
7. Petals
   1. 2
   2. 3
   3. 4
   4. 5
   5. 6
   6. 7 or more rays
   7. Many petals
   1. One (fused) like a bell or trumpet
   2. A few

After the plant is done flowering…fruit, seeds and cones can be identified.

If you feel like digging, check out the roots.

1. Taproot or fibrous root
2. Rhizome – thick stem on the ground that looks like a root

Finally, here are some great websites if you need help with plant identification:

• United States Department of Agriculture:  http://plants.usda.gov/
• Tropicos  by the Missouri Botanical Gardens:  http://www.tropicos.org/