An easy way to get started in Plant IDing?

psy-ops

psy-ops

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Sep 27, 1999
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One easy way to get started in plant identification, in your region, is to go to a botanical gardens. Most regions have them. I have been on vacation, in CA, this Summer. I went to the botanical gardens and they had all kinds of local plants nicely labelled. Botanical gardens are really fun and have tons of info every where you turn your head. Women love them and it is a sneaky way to learn wilderness skills.

California has tons of great plants for survival. Especially for food, medicinal, cordage and even tree identification for firemaking.

Agave, Dogbane and Milkweed for cordage making.

Ephedra, Hawthorneberry, Arnica and Bearberry.

The important thing to remember is not to overwhelm your head with every plant just slowly pick a few do some internet research. Then go back every now and again pick up a few more and so on. When you go hiking pick samples and try to match with what you see in the botanical gardens.
 
chrisaloia said:
One easy way to get started in plant identification, in your region, is to go to a botanical gardens. Most regions have them. I have been on vacation, in CA, this Summer. I went to the botanical gardens and they had all kinds of local plants nicely labelled. Botanical gardens are really fun and have tons of info every where you turn your head. Women love them and it is a sneaky way to learn wilderness skills.
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On the surface of this, it sounds like a good idea, however, at our local Royal Botanical Gardens, they had a native plant garden with the labels you mentioned, and some of them were wrong! I asked a Gardens employee about it, and he said there wasn't any money in the budget for somebody to look after it (they were more concerned with the imported stuff - horticultsnoborists!) so some volunteers did it. Now I don't know if the volunteers screwed it up, or maybe some kids fooling around. The point is if you're going to do this, take a plant book with you for comparison.

Doc
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There are so many plants!! I know quite a few of the useful ones locally, but there are still native trees that I can't name with certainty. I find it is the smaller plants that I take the most notice of....when the leaves and canopy are several yards above me it makes it too difficult.

I guess I'd approach the problem by reading up about the plants and deciding which ones are likely to be the most useful to me...then concentrate on positively identifying those for a start.
 
Doc, that is a good point. That why I suggested using the Botanical gardens as a starting point. In no way should you feel after one visit to your local botancial gardens that you are ready to eat and make medicine from plants. It should be part of an on-going process. Some people just don't know how to get started.


Plant identification knowledge is true empowerment. When you are in a sour situation, quickly identifying resources provides tremendous comfort. It also helps that they are easier to find than animals because they don't run very fast. There is nothing more fustrating than failing at hunting when you are hungry. It is hard to fail at catching a plant. Although, that depends on prior knowedge and studies.
 
Besides being useful, getting to know plants adds more enjoyment and purpose to being outdoors. It is good information to share with others too.

I've been thinking it would be a good idea to try to understand some of the special botanical terms used for parts of plants like 'calyx' and 'pinnule' etc etc. Then I'd be better equipped to identify plants positively from written descriptions.
 
You can also check Conservatories and Arboreatuems (sp?). Here in Ohio we have the Holden Arboreatuem and the Dawes. The Franklin Conservatory also has a wide variety of plants.
I took a Botany class at OSU as well. Might check your local colleges. Our Metro parks also offer free classes on various outdoor topics.
Just dilligently studying the Petersons guide's 'how to use' section will give you a good leg up on vocabulary.
 
I did a search on the web for guided plant walks in my area found a great one where an instructor lead us through some local brushy areas and helped us identuify numerous species of edible and medicinal plants, I'll definitely do it again it was awesome and very informative.
 
RescueRiley said:
I did a search on the web for guided plant walks in my area found a great one where an instructor lead us through some local brushy areas and helped us identuify numerous species of edible and medicinal plants, I'll definitely do it again it was awesome and very informative.
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Hey Riley,

There is a wild food guru that does wild food hikes in Central Park. Is that any where near you? His name is Steve Brill. Check him out here.

Doc
 
Doc,

That's exactly the guy I went to, He actuall does all of the parks in the nyc 5 boroughs and goes into some of the more rural areas surrounding ny, Excellent stufff, he's a little eccentric but really knows his stuff. THanks for the heads up.
 
There are guides that can tell you exactly what plant you are looking at IF IT IS IN FLOWER (we're talking herbs and shrubs, not trees). It uses a complex "algorithim" in which you input certain info until you narrow it down to one or two possibilities. At that point, you compare the specimin to the photo. When I say "input," I mean something like "if there are 3 petals, go to page 45," "if the stems are square, go to page 32." These ID guides are the real deal and they work.
 
patriqq said:
There are guides that can tell you exactly what plant you are looking at IF IT IS IN FLOWER (we're talking herbs and shrubs, not trees). It uses a complex "algorithim" in which you input certain info until you narrow it down to one or two possibilities. At that point, you compare the specimin to the photo. When I say "input," I mean something like "if there are 3 petals, go to page 45," "if the stems are square, go to page 32." These ID guides are the real deal and they work.
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They have one of these for wildflowers in my area, and would probably work for RR's as well. It is Newcomb's Wildflower Guide as seen here. A very popular book up here.

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
They have one of these for wildflowers in my area, and would probably work for RR's as well. It is Newcomb's Wildflower Guide as seen here. A very popular book up here.

Doc
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Have you ever seen one for other areas? I am interested in one for the southeast US.
 
storl said:
Have you ever seen one for other areas? I am interested in one for the southeast US.
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Newcomb's is good for north of Atlanta, but not south. Are you interested in the Southern Mountains, Piedmont, or upper and lower coastal plain?
 
patriqq said:
Wait... I guess your 4 senses. Your ears aren't going to help you too much.
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Actually, basswood sounds kinda hollow when you thump on the stem, a useful piece of info when you can't reach the leaves or winter.
 
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