Identifying, Collecting, Pressing, Mounting, and Storing Plants
To correctly identify a plant, you must have:
1. Knowledge of terminology
2. Knowledge of floras, manuals, and use of herbaria
3. Experience in identification
3 Methods of identification:
Key- artificial analytical arrangement of taxa designed for
identification
-uses contrasting terms to divide organisms into smaller groups
-should have two choices for each couplet = _______________
-found in floras (without complete descriptions) and manuals (with
complete descriptions)
Two types of keys:
1. _________________ Key
-couplets next to each other
-Manual of Vascular Plants of Texas is an example of this type of
space-efficient key.
2. _________________ Key
-couplets indented a fixed distance
-Shinners and Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas is
an example of this most common, though not as space-efficient
type of key
Collecting:
1. Select an average plant or collect several small specimens showing
the range of variation.
2. Do not collect sterile specimens.
3. Collect all the plant when possible, including the underground parts,
especially if these are unusual in some way (such as bulbs,
rhizomes). Roots of woody plants are seldom collected. A large
plant can be bent to fit the press and later the mounting paper.
Collect several individuals of a small sized specimen so that it will fill
up the herbarium sheet.
4. Place the plant at once in the press, vasculum, or a plastic collecting
bag.
5. Use a field notebook to keep accurate information on each plant.
Ethics of Plant Collecting
1. Obtain permission from landowner or government agency.
Respect the rights of property owners and obtain permits if needed
from government agencies
2. Be aware of laws concerning collection or transportation of
Plants that have been granted legal protection. Get a list and if in
doubt, do not collect. Many plants are threatened or endangered
because of illegal collecting for commercial purposes.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/endang/plants/
index.phtml
3. Collect specimens only when removal will not seriously harm
The local populations of the species. NEVER take a single
individual and if population is small (<20) take only a single
individual or piece leaving behind perennial underground organs
Texas threatened and endangered Cactus species:
1) Tobusch Fishhook Cactus Sclerocactus brevihamatus
ssp. tobuschii
2) Bunched Cory Cactus Coryphantha ramillosa ssp. ramillosa
3) Black Lace Cactus Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albertii
4) Davis' Green Pitaya Echinocereus viridiflorus var. davisii
5) Chisos Mountains Hedgehog Cactus Echinocereus chisoensis
var. chisoensis
6) Lloyd's Mariposa Cactus Sclerocactus mariposensis
7) Nellie's Cory Cactus Escobaria minima
8) Sneed's Pincushion Cactus Escobaria sneedii var. sneedii
9) Star Cactus Astrophytum asterias
Texas Threatened or Endangered Trees and Shrubs
1) Hinckley's Oak Quercus hinckleyi
2) Johnston's Frankenia Frankenia johnstonii
3) Texas Ayenia Ayenia limitaris
4) Texas Snowbells Styrax platanifolius spp. texanus
5) Walker's Manioc Manihot walkerae
Styrax platanifolius
spp. texanus (Styracaceae)
-endemic to Texas along
streams in limestone areas
In Bell and Burnet counties
Texas Threatened and Endangered Wildflowers:
• South Texas Ambrosia Ambrosia cheiranthifolia
• Pecos Sunflower Helianthus paradoxus
• Texas Prairie Dawn Hymenoxys texana
• Ashy Dogweed Thymophylla tephroleuca
• Terlingua Creek Cat's-eye Cryptantha crassipes
• Zapata Bladderpod Lesquerella thamnophila
• White Bladderpod Lesquerella pallida
• Tinytim (Earth-fruit) Geocarpon minimum
• Slender Rush-pea Hoffmannseggia tenella
• Texas Poppy-mallow Callirhoe scabriuscula
• Large-fruited Sand-verbena Abronia macrocarpa
• Texas Trailing Phlox Phlox nivalis ssp. texensis
• Chaffseed Schwalbea americana
• Navasota Ladies'-tresses Spiranthes parksii
• Texas Wild-rice Zizania texana
• Little Aguja Pondweed Potamogeton clystocarpus
Two parts in a field notebook1. Journal
2. Catalog
Journal Format and Information:
1) The page should be titled as journal and contain the name of the
investigator and the year, month, and date at the top of the page.
2) Number the pages consecutively.
3) Record the exact locality and date of each observation or account.
A hand-drawn map to the locality is required.
4) Results of the fieldwork should be described along with
information on habitat, general impressions on
plant communities and populations, animal interactions with
plants observed, and any additional information that is potentially
helpful in the investigation.
Catalog Format and Information:
Much of this is probably in your journal entry and need not be
repeated unless it is different for that particular plant.
1) The page should be titled as catalog and contain the name of the
investigator and the year, month, and date at the top of the page. Pages
should be numbered consecutively.
2) Assign the specimen a collection number
3) Once the specimen is identified, add in the scientific and family name.
4) Record the exact locality for each collection.
5) For each collection listed in the catalog, the following should be
considered:
a. Habitat.
b. Ecological information such as community type, soil type,
associated species, animal visitors, etc. may be recorded.
c. Color of flowers should be recorded.
d. Height of the plant is important for trees and shrubs.
e. Technical information you need to identify plants.
f. Relative abundance in the locality can also be useful.
Pressing Plants:
1. Use the collection numbers from your fieldbook to label a
once-folded newspaper cover approximately 400 mm X 280 mm in size.
2. Place the plant in the once-folded newspaper cover.
3. Arrange the plant in the newspaper so that the floral parts are well
displayed. It may be necessary to bend the stem once or more times
and remove some leaves.
4. Place this between thick blotters of about the same size. Put
cardboard of the same size around the blotters and stack these up.
Place plywood boards on each end of the stacks and tighten with straps.
Place the press in a warm dry place or in a plant dryer.
Labeling plants:
1. Prepare labels using data from the fieldbook. The label should
Contain the scientific name and authority, locality, county, collector's
name and collection number, date of collection, and other pertinent data
from the fieldbook. You may wish to record the family and common
names. The label must be about 8 cm X 12 cm.
Sample Label:
Tarleton State University Herbarium (TAC )
Oenothera speciosa Nutt. pink even ing primr ose
Onagraceae
Texas , Kle berg County; Kingsvill e; N end of CaptainÕs
Pond, 0.4 km. NNE of F.M. 1717 br idge ove r Santa Gertrud is
Creek. Prosopis glandulosa woodland on southea st facing
slope in moist open area. Plants common. Coroll as pink and
whit e.
989
A. Nels on
Dec. 4, 1995
Mounting Plants
1. Pour glue onto a plexiglass sheet and spread with a paintbrush.
Place the herbarium paper beside the plexiglass.
2. Lay the plant and the 8 cm X 12 cm label on the paper and arrange it
so that it fits with the label in the lower right hand corner.
3. Place the plant in the glue and then onto the herbarium paper.
Do the same with the label.
4. Allow the plants to dry
and store.
Storage of Plants:
1. Place plants in a below-zero degree freezer for two weeks and then
store in insect proof cabinets with containers of paradichlorobenzene.
2. As the collection grows, organize them by family and genus
alphabetically or phylogenetically in cardboard folders.