Class #1 Syllabus: Plant Identification in Three Easy Hours

1.      2.      Hour 1

3.      Why ID?

a.      Common name problems

                                                              i.      Common ground problems

                                                            ii.      Language differences

                                                          iii.      Archaic meanings

b.      Cultural information

                                                              i.      Scientific name, range, elevation etc.

4.      WHY to ID

a.      Decide why you need to ID

                                                              i.      Ornamental horticulture

                                                            ii.      Edible plants

                                                          iii.      Ethnobotany

1.      Medicine

2.      Ritual

3.      Other

b.      Decide ‘what you need to ID’

                                                              i.      What families are most common for your needs

                                                            ii.      Region specific plants

                                                          iii.      Ornamental? Native?

c.       A short history of nomenclature

                                                              i.      Romans

                                                            ii.      Herbalists

                                                          iii.      Early botanists

                                                           iv.      Linnaeus: Father of the binomial.

d.       

5.      Hour 2

6.      Vascular Plants vs. Non-vascular Plants

7.      Seeds vs. Spores

8.      Angiosperms vs. Gymnosperms

9.      Monocots vs. Dicots

10.  Plant parts Other Than Flowers

a.      Leaves

                                                              i.      Arrangement

                                                            ii.      Attachment

                                                          iii.      Venation

                                                           iv.      Stipules

                                                             v.      Texture

                                        vi.     Margin

b.      Forms

                                                              i.      Rosettes

                                                            ii.      Forbes and perennials

                                                          iii.      Upright, Scandent, Relaxed etc.

                                                           iv.      Spikes

                                                             v.      Arborescent

                                                           vi.      Vines and Lianas

                                                         vii.      Other

c.       Roots

                                                              i.      Corms, Tubers, Bulbs, Crowns, Rhizomes etc.

d.      Stems

                                                              i.      Woody

                                                            ii.      Herbaceous

                                                          iii.      Round vs. Square and Trigonal.

e.      Other important parts

                                                              i.      Pachycaul (Caudex)

                                                            ii.      Seeds

1.      Arils

                                                          iii.      Fruit

                                        iv.    Bark

11.  Flowers

a.      Plant sexuality terms:

                                                              i.      Monecious, Dioecious, Unisexual, Bisexual.

b.      Petals, Sepals and Tepals

c.       Calyx and Corrola

d.      Androecium, Gynoecium, Pistels, Carpels,

e.      Placentation

f.        Nectary Disk

g.      Apocarpus vs. Syncarpus

h.      Epigenous, Hypogenous, Perigynous (Hypanthium) Superior, Inferior.

i.        Symmetry

                                                              i.      Actinomorphic

                                                            ii.      Zygomorphic

j.        Inflorescence Shapes

12.  Identification to family and order, why it’s important:

a.      It gives you a ‘sense’ of the plant

b.      Makes for more accurate searches

c.       Plants in ‘Floras’ are arranged by families.

d.      If you know the family you have a good chance of identifying something in a closely related family via the order that family is in.

e.   If you aren't familiar with the family, being familiar with a family that is in the same order as the plant you are looking at gives you a good chance of figuring out what the plant's family is. 

13.  Id Methods

a.      Keys

b.      Knowledge

c.       Google Image Search

14.  Hour 3

a.      13 Most Common Arboretum Plant Families and the numbers of plants in each family here (We will identify and become familiar with plants from these families and more).

ORCHIDACEAE	3630
MYRTACEAE	1560
LILIACEAE	1104
FABACEAE	903
ARECACEAE	899
LAMIACEAE	844
ALOACEAE (Aspholedaceae)	625
ROSACEAE	603
ASTERACEAE	520
AGAVACEAE (Asparagaceae)	484
FAGACEAE	435
POACEAE	404
BIGNONIACEAE	340

                                                              i.