Spring 2019 Final Session; April 26th

Map To Families Covered

Families Covered:

Rosaceae
Malvaceae
Fagaceae
Bignoniaceae
Arecaceae

Ceiba speciosa -formerly in the Bombacaceae, now in the Malvaceae. 

Spring 2019 Plant ID Second Session

                 a.     Review

                                                    i.     Flower Terms

                                                   ii.     Inflorescence Terms

b.      Leaves

                                                    i.     Leaf Arrangement

1.      Alternate vs. Opposite

2.      Basal

3.      Equitant

4.      Simple

5.      Compound leaves (Ferns have different terminology)

a.      Odd vs. Even Pinnate

b.      Bi and Tri Pinnate leaves.

c.      Ternate and Biternate

d.      Petiole vs. Rachis

                                                   ii.     Leaf Attachment

                                                  iii.     Petiole

                                                  iv.     Stipules

                                                   v.     Leaf Shapes

                                                  vi.     Palmate vs. Lobed

                                                vii.     Pinnate vs. Palmate

                                               viii.     Leaf Margins

                                                  ix.     Venation

c.      Leaf Margins

d.      Families

                                                    i.     Asphodelaceae (was removed from the Asparagaceae recently) Aloe family

                                                   ii.     Liliaceae  Lily family

                                                  iii.     Poaceae Grass family

                                                  iv.     Juncaceae Rush family

                                                   v.     Restionaceae, Restio family

                                                  vi.     Amaryllidaceae Onion family

                                                vii.     Cyperaceae Sedge family

Spring 2019 Plant ID First Session Outline

Plant ID Class 2019

First Session

1.      Why ID

a.      Culture and Conditions

b.      Family ties

c.      To know

d.      Herbal research

e.      To eat or not to eat.

2.      A short and Eurocentric history of Botany

a.      Shamans and healers

b.      Greece

c.      China

d.      Rome

e.      The Renaissance

f.       The age of enlightenment

g.      The age of empire

h.      The age of the internet

3.      A botanist’s tools

a.      Loop

b.      Plant press

c.      Dissecting scope

d.      Outdoor gear

e.      Camera

f.       Benadryl

4.      A botanist’s resources

a.      Plant structure ID guide

b.      A working knowledge of the families they are dealing with.

                                                    i.     Knowledge of any unique structures of the families, genus and species they are dealing with.

c.      A flora (online or not) pertinent to the plants in question.

d.      A field guide (if necessary).

e.      Familiarity with Boolean search logic.

f.       Familiarity with Google search, particularly Google image search.

g.      Various taxonomy web sites.  

5.      A down and dirty look at the tree of life.

a.      Taxonomy

b.      Cladistics

c.      Hierarchy vs. Clade

6.      Plant Structures

a.      Plant type or habit

                                                    i.     Tree

                                                   ii.     Shrub

                                                  iii.     Vine

                                                  iv.     Liana

                                                   v.     Perennial

                                                  vi.     Biennial

                                                vii.     Herb

                                               viii.     Annual Herb

                                                  ix.     Forb

                                                   x.     Bulb

b.      Leaves

                                                    i.     Leaf Arrangement

1.      Alternate vs. Opposite

2.      Compound leaves

a.      Odd vs. Even Pinnate

b.      Bi and Tri-pinnate leaves.

                                                   ii.     Leaf Attachment

                                                  iii.     Petiole

                                                  iv.     Stipules

                                                   v.     Leaf Shapes

                                                  vi.     Palmate vs. Lobed

c.      Flowers

                                                    i.     Petals, Sepals, Tepals

1.      Fused vs. Separate

                                                   ii.     Calyx vs. Corolla

                                                  iii.     Bracts vs. Petals vs. Leaves

                                                  iv.     Ovary position

                                                   v.     Carpels

                                                  vi.     Stamen vs. Pistil

                                                vii.     Anther

                                               viii.     Pollen Sack

                                                  ix.     Sexuality

1.      Dioecious v. Monecious

2.      Unisexual vs. Bisexual

Selected Families

Selected Monocots at the Arboretum

Map of selected monocots at the Arboretum