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| If you're not an expert on local flora, but you're learning to ID plants, how do you know if you're right? Confirming with an expert is great, but there's not always an expert handy. My neighbor has a tree (a volunteer) that she doesn't know. I think I have identified it (Tilia americana var. caroliniana, Carolina Basswood), but how can I be sure? I need to do this for dozens of plants in my yard. I don't have an expert available (unless one of you lives in NC). Taking photos of everything and posting them on Gardenweb for someone to ID doesn't seem the right way to go either. So, do you have any suggestions for confirming an ID? I'm looking for general guidelines, not a confirmation of this particular tree. Thanks!
Shelley |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| If I am unsure about an ID, two questions usually confirm it. One, what is the plant's range? Two, what is its typical habitat? Those narrow your answer down quite a bit right off the bat. -Chloe |
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| well...to be sure, u need to go to a herbarium. froggy |
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| Snip a branch off that Basswod and take it to a nursery. Ask them what it is. |
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| I considered the plant's range when I made my tentative ID. But, I never would have thought about checking it at a herbarium. The New York Botanical Garden has all their images online, so I checked it this morning. It matches perfectly! I can't wait to check my "weeds" this way. Thanks for the great idea, froggy. Here's the link. They say: Shelley |
Here is a link that might be useful: Vascular Plant Types Catalog at the New York Botanical Garden
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- Posted by The_Mohave__Kid Nevada (My Page) on Sat, Jul 24, 04 at 10:11
| " I checked it this morning. It matches perfectly! I can't wait to check my "weeds" this way" Sounds like a lot of fun ... once you get a good ID save the collection in your own herbarium then you will have a good reference collection for later on if you need to be reminded what the plant is ... in fact make a note on the collection data as to how you confirmed your plant ID. Sometimes even herbariums need to send out plants to be identified by experts in that deal with a certain group of plants .... Thanks for the link .. Good Day .. |
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| well i actually ment to go to the actual herbarium but whatever works... just remember tho, the ppl and plants in herbariums are lonely down there. and so full of plant facts that just hanging out will help ur taxonomy thru sheer osmosis. id say ur next step is a plant press! froggy |
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| Shelley, if you're interested, there was a good discussion on the Dried Flower Forum about starting a herbarium, good tips and links. josh |
Here is a link that might be useful: Herbarium
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- Posted by The_Mohave__Kid Nevada (My Page) on Sun, Jul 25, 04 at 10:16
| I agree with Froggy ... putting collections sisde by side is a big plus and getting to know your local herbariums a big help ... Good Day ... |
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| OK, Mohave, froggy, and Josh - you've convinced me of the value of herbariums. And, yeah, I see the plant press coming. But, I've got to get some work done in my yard and get the house organized a little before I start another obsession. LOL Nothing is just a hobby for me; anything I'm interested in will consume all the time I'm not at work or sleeping. But, I promise that I will visit the plants (and people) at the closest herbarium as soon as I have a free day. And, froggy, you're sure about that osmosis part, right? Shelley |
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| I work at an arboretum and we are far behind the NYBG with cataloging our trees on all the grids. Just because it just appeared growing doesn't mean it's native or local for that matter. That's what we have been studing, trees of the North America, but we have collections from around the world. Some money is going to be put aside for the correct ID of all that we have but we need more than anything a person who can work on the computer. I suggested taking pictures and going from there. If you have a extention office, that's a good place to start because there's usually more than a few who will try their hardest to get it right and when there's that many people it's your best answer , meanwhile your helping others learn more too. Hoped this helped. |
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| What about going to your local garden nursery ?? Most of my neighbors wouldn't even know what a California native looks like. They end up buying what ever is available at our local nursery. Karen |
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