Slide 1 ___________________________________ NAMING, PLANT IDENTIFICATION ___________________________________ and NATIVE PLANTS for ___________________________________ Master Gardeners Naming conventions, how to use keys, and an intro to local natives ___________________________________ 1 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 2 ___________________________________ Class objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: • Describe the Latin and common naming systems, ___________________________________ how they are used, and why they are important for gardeners and ecologists. • Demonstrate how to use a dichotomous key to identify a plant. ___________________________________ • Define the concept of “nativeness” and place it in the context of gardening and local ecology. • Describe the ecology and identifying characters for 3 or more locally native plants. ___________________________________ 2 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 3 ___________________________________ Latin and Common Names • Most plants have both ___________________________________ • Ideally, each plant has ONE of each • Good to learn both • Latin names good for specificity ___________________________________ • Common names good for simple communication ___________________________________ 3 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 4 ___________________________________ Latin (or Scientific) Names • Classifying and naming brings order to chaos • Carl von Linne “invented” the system in 1700s ___________________________________ • Linneas, Linnean taxonomy: Latin binomial • Names sometimes change, but binomial naming system is useful and survives intact ___________________________________ • Historic classification was based on appearance • Modern classification is DNA (evolution)-based • “Who is most closely related to who” ___________________________________ 4 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 5 ___________________________________ Classification of plants • Highest classification tiers separate plants from other basic life forms ___________________________________ • Higher plant tiers separate algae, mosses, spore- vs. seed-bearing plants, etc. • Int’l. Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (2011) ___________________________________ • Classifications based mostly on flower and seed parts (reproduction) • Lowest tiers = most relevant to us: Family, Genus, species (ssp. or subsp.; var.; etc.) ___________________________________ 5 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 6 ___________________________________ Families • No easy rule defines what is a “family;” just remember that they have similar flowers and ___________________________________ seeds, often other similarities • Each family is named for a genus within it • Example: Berberis (the genus) is the “root” of ___________________________________ the Berberidaceae Family. Brassica, the root of the Mustard Family, Brassicaceae. • All plant families end in –aceae ___________________________________ 6 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 7 ___________________________________ Important garden vegetable families (1) • Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis Family; onion, garlic) • Apiaceae (Carrot Family; carrot, parsley) ___________________________________ • Asteraceae (Aster Family; lettuce) • Brassicaceae (Mustard Family; broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, arugula, mustard ___________________________________ greens, radish) • Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family; spinach, chard, beet) ___________________________________ 7 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 8 ___________________________________ Important garden vegetable families (2) • Cucurbitaceae (Cucumber Family; ___________________________________ cucumber, squash, melon) • Fabaceae (Bean Family; pea, bean) • Poaceae (Grass Family; corn) ___________________________________ • Solanaceae (Nightshade Family; tomato, potato, pepper, eggplant) ___________________________________ 8 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 9 ___________________________________ Binomial system: basic conventions • Latin used as “the language of science” ___________________________________ • Genus + species = the Latin name or binomial • Latin words often translate to English to a plant feature or habitat or an associated ___________________________________ person’s name • Pronunciation varies ___________________________________ 9 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 10 ___________________________________ Binomial system: basic conventions • Genus (pl. genera) always capitalized: Acer • Species epithet lower case: Acer macrophyllum ___________________________________ • Often there is another sub-category: • Subspecies = ssp. (or subsp.) • Variety = var. (also a “common” definition) • Cultivar = cultivated variety (overlap in Latin ___________________________________ and common naming with this term); horticultural • Genus, species, ssp./var. name always italicized; cultivar name not italicized ___________________________________ 10 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 11 ___________________________________ Binomial system: basic conventions • If genus known, but species not, use “sp.”: e.g. Berberis sp. (singular) ___________________________________ • Several species of a genus: Berberis spp. (plural) • Occasionally: - A genus moved to different family - 2 species “lumped” to 1, or 1 “split” into 2 ___________________________________ • “Professional disagreement” can result in two names for the same plant • We still are learning! • Plants still are evolving! ___________________________________ 11 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 12 How is a “new” species named? ___________________________________ • New genus or species: “type” voucher collection; name & description published under Rules • OSU houses an “herbarium;” LCC a small one ___________________________________ • Describer becomes “author” (“authority”) of that sp.; written after the name (usually abbreviated) • E.g., L. (abbreviation for Linnaeus) • Writing the authority is optional ___________________________________ • Rules complicated; best to follow a good Oregon source (e.g., the Oregon Flora Project) • New cultivar? A separate rule set. ___________________________________ 12 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 13 ___________________________________ Common names • No governing rules or authorities • May be more than one for a species or ssp. ___________________________________ • One name may be applied to several species • Often relates to Latin binomial: Bigleaf Maple = Acer macrophyllum • Sometimes quite different: Pseudotsuga menziesii ___________________________________ would be Menzies’ False Hemlock, but instead is Douglas-fir • Capitalization optional: Bigleaf Maple = Bigleaf maple = bigleaf maple ___________________________________ 13 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 14 ___________________________________ Plant breeding • Results in new hybrids and cultivars • Patents often applied for ___________________________________ • Also has international rulebook for naming: ICNCP (2009) • Most ornamentals and vegetables are bred by selecting, hybridizing or genetic manipulation ___________________________________ • Cultivar name comes after Latin binomial in single quote marks: Acer macrophyllum ‘Diane’s Special’ • Hybrids may have an X in the name ___________________________________ 14 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 15 ___________________________________ In conclusion • Most every plant has a Latin name AND a common name ___________________________________ • Latin names = scientific, specific • Common names = easy public use • Both have drawbacks; generally, Latin ___________________________________ binomial is more unique to a plant and understandable around the world ___________________________________ 15 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 16 ___________________________________ Let’s look at the catalog… ___________________________________ 1. Stretch break 2. Look at catalog, focus on names ___________________________________ 3. Reconvene, ask questions, review catalog together ___________________________________ 16 ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Slide 17 ___________________________________ USING KEYS! • Literal meaning: the key! • A way to find out what an unknown plant is, using someone else’s tool made for that purpose ___________________________________ • Dichotomous = two ways;