New
England
Grows
Essentials
of
Plant
Identification
“10
strategies”
Jack
Ahern,
Professor,
University
of
Massachusetts,
Amherst
1.
Learn
the
language
of
botanical
terminology
(see
handouts)
2.
Get,
and
Use
standard
Plat
ID
references,
for
example
:
Manual
of
Woody
Landscape
Plants,
Michael
Dirr
Dirr’s
Hardy
Trees
and
Shrubs,
Michael
Dirr
The
Sibley
Guide
to
Trees,
David
Allen
Sibley
Plants
that
Merit
Attention,
Volume
1
Trees,
Vol
2
Shrubs,
The
Garden
Club
of
America
Conifers,
the
Ilustrated
Enclclopedia,
D.M.
van
Gelderen,
J.R.P
van
Hoey
Smith
3.
Learn
the
ENTIRE
plant:
leaf,
fruit,
bark,
flower,
form,
common
pests
and
diseases,
age,
type
of
neighborhood,
….
4.
Learn,
Make­up,
and
Use
MEMONICS,
for
example:
King
Philip
Came
Over
From
Germany
Smashed
(Kingdom,
Phylum,
Class,
Order,
Family,
Genus,
Species)
MAD‐Horse
(Maple‐Ash‐Dogwood‐Horsechestnut)
Opposite‐leaved
trees
MAD
CAP
Horse
(
+
Caprifoliaceae/Honeysuckle
Family)
Uwanna
MAD
CAP
Horse
named
Corky
(Euonymus
+Madcap
Horse
+
Phellodendron)
All
opposite‐leaved
trees
I’m
happy
to
be
an
American
(Fraxinus
americana)
(White
Ash,
F.
Americana
has
a
notched
“smiley”
leaf
scar.
F.
Pennsylvanica
doesn’t
have
the
“smile”)
5.
Make
a
Herbarium
Collect
representative
specimens,
place
between
newspaper/blotter
paper,
cover
and
weight,
mount
and
label
6.
Collect
and
Label
Twigs
put
in
a
vase,
contemplate
over
coffee,
juice
or
wine
7.
Take
a
Plant
ID
Class
UMass
Amherst;
Arnold
Arboretum,
Boston;
N.E.
Wildflower
Society,
Garden
in
the
Woods,
Framingham;
Tower
Hill,
Boylston;
Mass
Audubon,;
Your
local
conservation
and/or
nature
center.
8.
Visit
Arboreta,
Botanical
Gardens
and
Nurseries
Arnold
Arboretum,
Boston;
Berkshire
Botanical
Garden,
Stockbridge;
Botanical
Garden
of
Smith
College,
Northampton;
Garden
in
the
Woods,
Framingham;
Tower
Hill,
Boylston,
Heritage
Plantation,
Sandwich.
9.
Make
and
Use
“flash
Cards”
Botanical:Common
Name,
by
genus,
i.e.
the
oaks,
tape
twigs
to
cards,
…
10.
Go
online
(Google:
Tree
identification,
shrub
ID,
leaf
ID,
etc.)
USDA
Plants
Online:
http://plants.usda.gov/
Samuel
Roberts
Noble
Foundation:
http://www.noble.org/webapps/plantimagegallery/Woodies.aspx
Natural
Resources
Conservation
Service:
http://plant‐
materials.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/plantid/woodies/broadleaf.html
UConn
Plant
Data
Base:
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants/
Floridata
http://www.floridata.com/
UMass
Extension
Weed
herbarium:
http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/weed_herbarium/common_name_list.
htm
Virginia
Tech
Dichotomous
and
Multichotomous
Keys:
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/idit.htm
Cornell
gardening
Resources,
Trees
and
Shrubs:
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/woodies/index.html
Plant
Leaf
Identification
http://www.ehow.com/about_5387202_plant‐leaf‐
identification.html?ref=trojan&utm_source=google&utm_medium=home_search
Arbor
Day
Foundation:
What
tre
is
that?
http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/fullonline.cfm
Key
to
leaves
of
Virginia
Trees
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/key/intro.htm
A
winter
guide
to
tree
identification
http://forestry.about.com/od/treeidentification/a/winter_tree_id.htm