Today’s Agenda ◦ History of Plant Taxonomy ◦ Plant Classification ◦ Scientific Names ◦ Leaf and Flower Characteristics ◦ Dichotomous Keys Plant Identification Heather Stoven What do you gain Looking at plants more closely from identifying plants? Why is it ◦ How do plants relate to each other? How are they important? grouped? • Common disease and insect problems • Cultural requirements • Plant habit • Propagation methods • Use for food and medicine Plant Classification Plant Classification Group each plant into a specific category Group each plant into a specific category Maple Spiraea Viburnum Crabapple Maple Spiraea Apple tree Ash Viburnum Crabapple Daylily Geranium Apple tree Ash Tomato Poinsettia Daylily Geranium TREES Oak Pepper Tomato Poinsettia Weeping willow Mint Oak Pepper Petunia Euonymus Weeping willow Mint Petunia Euonymus OS-Plant ID.ppt, page 1 Plant Classification Plant Classification Group each plant into a specific category Group each plant into a specific category Maple Spiraea Maple Spiraea Viburnum Crabapple Viburnum Crabapple Apple tree Ash Ornamental Apple tree Ash Edible Daylily Geranium Flowering Daylily Geranium Tomato Poinsettia Plants Tomato Poinsettia Crops Oak Pepper Oak Pepper Weeping willow Mint Weeping willow Mint Petunia Euonymus Petunia Euonymus Carolus Linnaeus Plant Taxonomy The Father of Taxonomy ◦ Identifying, classifying and assigning ◦ Swedish botanist scientific names to plants ◦ Developed binomial ◦ Historical botanists trace the start of nomenclature taxonomy to one of Aristotle’s students, Theophrastus (372-287 B.C.), but he didn’t ◦ Cataloged plants based on create a scientific system natural relationships—primarily flower structures (male and ◦ He relied on the common groupings of female sexual organs) folklore combined with growth: tree, shrub, undershrub or herb ◦ Published Species Naturae in ◦ Detected the process of germination and 1735 and Species Plantarum in realized the importance of climate and soil 1753 to plants ◦ Then, along came Linnaeus…. Photo: University of California at Berkley Plant Classification Pyramid Generally Accepted Classification Units for horticulturists and gardeners Kingdom Plantae Monera, Protists, Fungi and Animals Division (Phylum) 12: based mostly on reproductive characteristics (Angiospermae) Family Genus Family Several hundred named Species Genus Species An estimated 370,000 named OS-Plant ID.ppt, page 2 Family Family names end in“aceae” ◦ Group of closely related genera Caprifoliaceae – Honeysuckle family including Honeysuckle, Snowberry, Weigela ◦ Similar structure and appearance ◦ Seed pod/fruit Plants are classified based ◦ Flower parts mainly on these characters Fabaceae – Pea family ◦ Leaf arrangement including clover, Locust, mimosa, lupine and vetch ◦ Cultural practices (i.e., the care of the plant) generally follows family lines Oleaceae – Olive family including Ash, Forsythia, and Privet Remember our friend, Carl? What’s with the Latin? ◦ Linnaeus simplified scientific names by When Linnaeus published his first books designating one Latin name to indicate the genus, and one as a "shorthand" name for the oLatin was the language of science in Western Europe specific epithet oHe followed this trend using Latin and Greek names Spelling is universal, worldwide Binomial o Pronunciation depends on nomenclature! local language and dialect Scientific Names: Scientific Names: Binomial Nomenclature Binomial Nomenclature ◦ The names are composed of two parts ◦ Species: the basis of the binomial system of 1. Genus nomenclature 2. Specific epithet ◦ a difficult word to define, a population of individuals within a genus that are capable of Family: Bignoniaceae interbreeding freely with one another Catalpa speciosa Western Catalpa Genus Specific epithet Species OS-Plant ID.ppt, page 3 Genus and Species The specific epithet can give us hints plant about the plant: ◦ Specific epithet: the second word in a scientific plant name, not capitalized and usually an adjective used to describe size, color, leaf shape, growth habit, origin of the plant or to commemorate a person. Equus ferus Equus africanus asinus caballus – 64 - 62 chromosomes ◦ Cotoneaster horizontalis chromosomes ◦ Coreopsis gigantea ◦ Clerodendrum thomsoniae ◦ Godetia grandiflora ◦ Cistus x purpureus ◦ Chionanthus virginicus Mules Equus asinus x Equus caballus – 63 chromosomes - sterile Scientific Names: Participation question Binomial Nomenclature Which name is written correctly? Correct spelling ◦ Red maple: • Genus and specific epithet names are always underlined or in italics. • Genus is capitalized 1. Acer rubrum • Specific epithet is not 2. Acer Rubrum capitalized 3. acer rubrum 4. Acer rubrum Fraxinus americana Participation question Scientific Names: Binomial Nomenclature Which name is written correctly? ‘sp.’ = species (singular) Do not italicize Red maple: ‘spp.’ = species (plural) or underline. 1. Acer rubrum 2. Acer Rubrum For example 3. acer rubrum ◦ Prunus sp. – Refers to a definite plant in 4. Acer rubrum the Prunus genera of unidentified species. ◦ Prunus spp. – Refers to all of the species in the Prunus genus. OS-Plant ID.ppt, page 4 Plant species can be divided more Subspecies Taxa specifically into: Cultivar ◦ cultivar ◦ “Cultivated variety” or horticultural variety ◦ plants within a species that have been selected especially for a ◦ variety particular characteristic and are propagated, usually asexually to ◦ Hybrid continue this trait(growth habit, flower, fruitless) Variety botanical or wild variety, a group of plants intermediate between species and forma and usually associated with inheritable differences. They are recognized as distinct populations breeding true to type Hybrid ◦ two closely related but distinct species will interbreed to form a hybrid. Are often sterile and produce no seed or fruit Subspecies taxa Participation question Cultivar – plant group from a cultivated variety. Written in plain text, Which name is written correctly? capitalized and set off by single quotes, e.g. ◦ Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ or Viburnum opulus cv. Roseum Furman’s Red Sage Variety – plant group found in nature A. Salvia greggii ◦ Buxus microphylla var. japonica ‘Furman’s Red’ o Japanese Boxwood B. Salvia greggii Hybrid - Cross between A. rubrum and A. saccarinum ‘Furman’s Red’ ◦ Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ C. Salvia Greggii o The “X” also denotes it is a hybrid (a cross between different Furman’s Red species) o Often sterile and not producing fruit Sometimes the cultivar (in single quotes) is not what the registered trade name is • Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’ is also the Autumn Blaze® maple • Pyrus calleryana ‘Glen’s Form’ is Chanticleer® Callery pear Participation question Scientific Names: Binomial Nomenclature Which name is written correctly? Furman’s Red Sage ◦ Authority – person who first identified the species A. Salvia greggii ◦ Acer palmatum Thunberg ‘Furman’s Red’ ◦ Acer palmatum T. o Japanese Maple B. Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ ◦ Solanum tuberosum Linnaeus C. Salvia Greggii ◦ Solanum tuberosum L. Furman’s Red o Irish potato OS-Plant ID.ppt, page 5 What’s wrong with Common Names? Common Names: Rules for Writing They don’t always identify the plant ◦ While a constant source of confusion, they are often used ◦ For writing, all common names are usually in lower case letters Liriodendron tulipifera Nymphaea alba ◦ sugar maple ◦ Tuliptree in the north ◦ European White Waterlily ◦ barberry ◦ Yellow Poplar in the south ◦ 15 common English names ◦ dogwood ◦ 44 common French names ◦ ginkgo Carpinus caroliniana ◦ 105 common German names ◦ Unless there is a proper name in the common name or you’re naming a specific cultivar… ◦ American Hornbean ◦ 81 common Dutch names Japanese maple ◦ Blue Beach Also Consider….. ◦ ◦ Russian olive ◦ Musclewood ◦ Common names not universal ‘Autumn Purple’ white ash ◦ Water Beech ◦ ◦ Many different plants are ◦ Chanticleer® pear ◦ Ironwood given same common name ◦ Many species do not have common names Many Latin names are now“generic” common names. Plant Name Changes o Anemone Happens occasionally because: o Rhododendron ◦ o Crocus ◦ Can be changes in International Code of Botanical Nomenclature o Viburnum ◦ Book which has rules and guidelines for naming plants – ex. The nomenclature of taxonomic groups is based on the priority of publication ◦ Advances in technology have changed our knowledge of plant relationships, ex. Using molecular techniques ◦ Botanists disagree on placement of plants ◦ Ex. lumpers vs. splitters Plant Name Changes Quick Review…. ◦ The Genus Aster used to contain hundreds of species in ◦ Let’s review some plant ID concepts North America and Eurasia ◦ Leaf Arrangement ◦ Morphologic and molecular research determined the species should be split ◦ Leaf Shape ◦ Now there are 180 species in the genus, all except one are ◦ Simple vs. compound all in Eurasia ◦ Flower parts Almutaster Ionactis ◦ Flower characteristics ◦ Ampelaster Ocelmena ◦ ◦ Canadanthus Oreostemma ◦ Fruit types ◦ Doellingeria Seriococarpus ◦ Eucephalus Symphotrichum ◦ eurbia OS-Plant ID.ppt, page 6 Leaf arrangement, a tool for plant ID Leaf arrangement, a tool for plant ID On stem Leaflets Alternate Opposite Whorled Simple Pinnately Palmately Doubly Compound Compound Compound 311 311 Leaf venation, a tool for plant ID Leaf shape, a tool for plant ID Overall oval lanceolate obovate elliptical spatulate shape cordate oblanceolate obcordate oblong linear peltate cuneate reniform hastate 312 312 Leaf shape, a tool for plant ID Parts of a flower Margin shape