The following tips for plant identification helps one develop a system of “looking.”
SOURCE: Trees and Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest by Mark Turner and Ellen Kuhlmann, Timber Press, 2014.
- GOAL: to get an overall impression of the plant.
- Try to examine several individuals to get a feel for the variability of individual plants.
- Think about seasonality: you may need to wait until the plant is flowering to identify it. Are the leaves present on the plant year-round? What are the fruits like? Does the entire plant die within one season (annual), or are is the plant alive for more than one season (perennial)?
- Be aware that some plants are easier to recognize than others, even for experts!
- Observe and take notes on specific aspects of the plant, describing:
- Where is it growing (habitat)? Is the plant in full sun or full shade? Are you in the mountains, at the seashore, or in the shrub-steppe?
- How big is the plant?
- What is the stem like? Single or many? Clumped together? Upright or lateral? stiff or weak? Are there any spines, prickles, or hairs?
- How are the leaves placed on the stem? Mostly on the ground (basal)? All along the stem? Or both?
- Leaf shape: Are they all the same shape? Is the leaf entire (simple) or divided into leaflets (compound)? How many leaflets in each leaf? Is the leaf needle-like?
- Leaf texture: Does it feel soft, leathery, hairly, sticky, or spiny? How does the leaf top compare to the leaf underside?
- Leaf attachment to the stem: Is it opposite, alternate (staggered), or whorled (spiral)? ; Is there a short “stem” (petiole) connecting the leaf to the stem?
- What are the flowers like? Beware: flower color may be highly variable between individual plants and may change as the flower ages.
- Count the sepals (outermost layer of a flower). Are the separate or fused?
- Count the petals. Are all the petals the same shape (regular)? Are the petals fused together- if so- describe the shape.
- Count the stamens. Notice how the stamens are placed inside the petals. Are they shorter or longer than the petals? Are they all the same height?
- Describe the shape of the pistil. Open up the pistil and describe the inside chambers and placement of the developing seeds.
- Where do the sepals, petals, & stamens attach to the ovary, making the ovary superior, inferior or, in-between
- Describe if there are any missing parts to the flower (incomplete).Are either stamens or pistil lacking within a flower (imperfect). Radial or bilateral symmetry?
- Is the flower solitary or part of an inflorescence (group)? Draw the pattern