Plant ID Tips and Tricks

[freeztar]

Inspired by this thread, I decided to make a list of some tips and tricks to help one identify plants. I'm hoping others will add to the list and that it can become a helpful guide for others. Please keep in mind that this list will be biased towards plants found in the United States so participation from others (particularly from other countries) is important and appreciated. [DISCLAIMER]Also keep in mind that many of these tips are general and may not apply to every case.[/DISCLAIMER]

 

Plant ID Tips and Tricks

*If you find a plant with a square stem, there is a good chance it is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae).

*All willows are water loving species. You will only find them in bottomlands or places that stay fairly wet.

*Cattails are an indicator of water. Plants growing around the cattail can be assumed (in most cases) to be hydrophytic as well.

*An oft overlooked method of identifying a plant is smell. If you find an unknown plant, try crushing its leaves and smelling them. It can help you identify it later on. (PLEASE learn your dermo-toxic plants, such as poison ivy, before attempting this method)

*More coming soon...

[Racoon]

There aren't that many tips or tricks really. Even if you know that mint leaves are realatively square/rectangular, you still need to recognize/know that. But if you're intimately familiar with mint you alreay know what is or isn't a mint.

 

Much of plant identification comes from experience...In my experience

 

Once you learn the families of plants, then that knowledge should help you to make an educated guess of what it is you're trying to identify.

 

Hopefully some others can share a few tricks and tips.

Shortcuts are always welcome..

[Cedars]

OK heres a question.

 

When I have been posting pics, I have tried to include some detail about the environment, or soil type, or what I found growing around the plant.

 

Has that been helpful for you to ID them for me?

 

What points that I have been making are the most helpful for ID'ing?

 

Have there been details that I am not including that would be more helpful?

[Cedars]

There aren't that many tips or tricks really.

 

 

Ackk! You know that isnt what I wanted to hear, regardless of whether its true or not. :shrug:

[freeztar]

What points that I have been making are the most helpful for ID'ing?

 

Have there been details that I am not including that would be more helpful?

 

What helps me a bunch is seeing every part of the plant. Also seeing macro/micro shots is helpful. For example, when you posted the alder, it was helpful for me to see a close-up of the leaf as well as a picture of the whole shrub.

 

Geography is of utmost importance in determining the ecosystem in which the plants reside. For the same reasons, it is very helpful to have a "context picture" showing other plants in the area.

 

Also, anything about the water conditions is extremely useful. Is it a dry area, or up on a mountain? Was it only growing along the creek? Is it growing out of a pond? etc..

[freeztar]

There aren't that many tips or tricks really.

I beg to differ. At least, I will attempt to disprove your idea through expanding this list.

Even if you know that mint leaves are realatively square/rectangular, you still need to recognize/know that.

Which is why it is a helpful tip.

But if you're intimately familiar with mint you alreay know what is or isn't a mint.

 

Having a nose helps too. :shrug:

Much of plant identification comes from experience...In my experience

I couldn't agree with you more.

Once you learn the families of plants, then that knowledge should help you to make an educated guess of what it is you're trying to identify.

 

I wish I knew my families better, but there are so many to know. :cup:

I usually go by association. If something looks similar to a buttercup in some way, then I will look up that genus or family and start searching from there.

 

Hopefully some others can share a few tricks and tips.

Shortcuts are always welcome..

 

I hope so too. I'll be adding to the list as I think of/remember things.

What about you Raccoon? Surely you have some tips to share? :cup:

[Ganoderma]

fully plant shots are needed, but to get absolute ID's generally flower shots are needed too, along with a good description of the flowers morphology. but that is more for telling the specie, more general things like leaf structure/growth patterns etc are good for family and often genus level ID's.

 

look here for a good way to id certain plants (you will need to find keys as to your specific area).

 

glossary:

UCMP Glossary: Botany

 

a nice visual:

Botanical Visual Glossary

 

 

keys for examples on how to ID.

 

Brugsmania sp.

DESCRIPTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BRUGMANSIA SPECIES AND HYBRIDS

 

Tabernaemontana sp.

Tabernaemontana in Flora of China @ efloras.org

[Turtle]

I often focus on a plant's leaf for identification, whether I'm ID'ing on the spot or referencing a source later on. Here's a few leaf tips I look for.

 

- leaf shape (oval, elliptical, curled, slender, etcetera)

- leaf margin (smooth, toothed, doubly toothed)

- leaf color (top & bottom)

- leave texture (smooth, hairy, waxy, etcetera)

- leaf size

- leaf attachment to stem

- leaf vein structure

 

Knowing that each of these is a potential identifying factor, I look over these features on each leaf I need to ID. That's all I got right now. :cup: :evil:

[Ganoderma]

very useful, yes. but not many plants are described without flowers. thus, using flowers (aka reproductive organs) to ID is far more accurate. everything must be taken into account though :evil: i too use leaves as my first clues.

[Cedars]

fully plant shots are needed, but to get absolute ID's generally flower shots are needed too, along with a good description of the flowers morphology. but that is more for telling the specie, more general things like leaf structure/growth patterns etc are good for family and often genus level ID's.

 

look here for a good way to id certain plants (you will need to find keys as to your specific area).

 

glossary:

UCMP Glossary: Botany

 

a nice visual:

Botanical Visual Glossary

 

 

keys for examples on how to ID.

 

Brugsmania sp.

DESCRIPTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BRUGMANSIA SPECIES AND HYBRIDS

 

Tabernaemontana sp.

Tabernaemontana in Flora of China @ efloras.org

 

Good links Gandomera. Thanks!

[Cedars]

I often focus on a plant's leaf for identification, whether I'm ID'ing on the spot or referencing a source later on. Here's a few leaf tips I look for.

 

- leaf shape (oval, elliptical, curled, slender, etcetera)

- leaf margin (smooth, toothed, doubly toothed)

- leaf color (top & bottom)

- leave texture (smooth, hairy, waxy, etcetera)

- leaf size

- leaf attachment to stem

- leaf vein structure

 

Knowing that each of these is a potential identifying factor, I look over these features on each leaf I need to ID. That's all I got right now. :hyper: :D

 

Good list there Turtle! I put off learning details about plant ID for years, even though I know how important it is in connecting alot of other interests I have (like birding).

[Turtle]

I often focus on a plant's leaf for identification, whether I'm ID'ing on the spot or referencing a source later on. Here's a few leaf tips I look for.

 

- leaf shape (oval, elliptical, curled, slender, etcetera)

- leaf margin (smooth, toothed, doubly toothed)

- leaf color (top & bottom)

- leave texture (smooth, hairy, waxy, etcetera)

- leaf size

- leaf attachment to stem

- leaf vein structure

 

Knowing that each of these is a potential identifying factor, I look over these features on each leaf I need to ID.

very useful, yes. but not many plants are described without flowers. thus, using flowers (aka reproductive organs) to ID is far more accurate. everything must be taken into account though :evil: i too use leaves as my first clues.

 

A major problem with focusing on the flowers is that they only occur on the plant for a portion of the year. Typically, plants' leaves can be examined even when flowers are absent, but not the reverse.

 

For deciduous annuals in Winter there is the bark and fruit to turn to for ID. If there's no fruit on the bare plant, try looking on the ground below. :hyper: :D

[Ganoderma]

indeed yes, you need everything for an ID, but some genera are extremely difficult! the 2 above are good examples...another good example is cacti, without a flower no id is for sure...even after it is not always 100%. many trees seem easy, but tehre are many very similar plants that need to have their "goods" checked :eek2:

 

i too follow your type of list first, i always check leaves first. but i will never be sure in my mind without leaves and flowers. then theres the hybrid issue.....

[InfiniteNow]

Oooh! I've got one!

 

If it scurries across the forest floor and is hairy with four legs, it's probably not a plant, it's probably...

 

 

 

 

... an animal! :eek_big: :eek_big:

[freeztar]

Conifers are so much easier to ID than deciduous trees, imho.

The main difference is the growth pattern seen from a distance.

 

Deciduous trees are usually undefined in form, but cone-bearing trees tend to have a more prominent distinction.

 

In the NW of the US, it is easy to see a Doug Fir forest and extrapolate that form to every future Doug Fir encounter. You happen to see a tree by the road and say, "There's a Doug Fir". Cedars are morphologically different, as are larches.

 

Outside my door is a sycamore, sweet gum, water oak, and tulip poplar. Much less obvious than the distinguished marks of the cone-bearers, but noble companions nonetheless (and hardier :eek_big:).

[Turtle]

i'm hunting now for a list of plants & their phyllotaxic classification, as i never see that classification listed in usual plant id sources. none the less it is a strict method of identifying plants as well as a fascinating peek into Nature's use of mathematics. i ran across the subject of phyllotaxy when i raised bonsai. :) :cheer:

 

>> Phyllotaxis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

>> About "Phyllotaxis"

 

>> http://www.math.ntnu.no/~jarlet/Douady96.pdf

 

>> Phyllotaxis -- from Wolfram MathWorld

 

>> Phyllotaxis

[Ganoderma]

indeed one of the best ways to work your way down the tree...makes it much easier....but many plants are very hard to distinguish with this method alone.