Plant Identification

Michael G. Simpson

Identification - associating an unknown entity with a

known one.
Known and unknown entities refer to classes, delimited
by features.
Diagnostic characterization (diagnosis)
= all features that distinguish an entity from all other
entities.
Identification = determining if diagnosis of unknown
falls within the diagnosis of a known.
Methods of identification
1) Taxonomic keys
Dichotomous key
Compare two contrasting statements:
couplet = two contasting leads
 Dichotomous key
1. Fertile stamens 3 or 1 (Subfamily Haemodoroideae)
2. Ovary superior
3. Fertile stamen 1........................................................................Pyrrorhiza
3' Fertile stamens 3
4. Corolla actinomorphic
5. Inflorescence a simple raceme; functional carpel 1; ovule 1; style subterminal....Barberetta
5 Inflorescence an elongate thyrse with lateral monochasial cymes; functional carpels 3;
ovules 20-30 per carpel; style terminal...........................................Xiphidium
4' Corolla zygomorphic
6. Stamens unequal, the 2 latero-posterior anthers reduced; ovules 3-4 per carpel......Schiekia
6' Stamens equal; ovule 1 per carpel...............................................Wachendorfia
2' Ovary inferior
7. Ovule 1 per carpel........................................................................Dilatris
7' Ovules 2 or more per carpel
8. Ovules 2 per carpel; perianth glabrous...............................................Haemodorum
8' Ovules 5-7 per carpel; perianth abaxially tomentose.................................Lachnanthes
1' Fertile stamens 6 (Subfamily Conostylidoideae)
9. Flowers actinomorphic; perianth not splitting along mid-anterior line
10. Perianth glabrous to glabrate.........................................................Phlebocarya
10' Perianth lanate to tomentose
11. Perianth lanate; trichomes simple to sparsely branched, white-whitish; anthers with broad,
apical connective appendage......................................................Tribonanthes
11' Perianth tomentose, trichomes dendritic, yellow, whitish, reddish, pink, orange, or purplish;
anthers without broad, apical connective appendage
12. Flowers pendulous; perianth reddish to pink-orange................................Blancoa
12' Flowers generally ascending; perianth usually yellow or whitish, rarely orange
to purplish....................................................................Conostylis
9' Flowers zygomorphic; perianth tube splitting along mid-anterior line
13. Ovule 1 per carpel; perianth trichomes black...........................................Macropidia
13' Ovules >1 per carpel; perianth trichomes red, yellow, orange or green................Anigozanthos
Methods of identification
1) Taxonomic keys
Dichotomous key
Compare two contrasting statements:
couplet = two contasting leads
Polyclave key
List presence / absence of all features
 Polyclave key
1 Woody plants (excl. suffrutices) 37 Leaves with pellucid or glandular dots or lines
2 Herbaceous plants (incl. suffrutices) 38 Leaves with a ligule
3 Aquatic plants, leaves floating or submerged 39 Stipules absent
4 Chlorophyll absent (parasites or saprophytes) 40 Stipules present (only the scars may be left)
5 Bulb present (monocots only) 41 Flowers solitary
6 Milky juice present 42 Inflorescence a raceme, simple and monopodial
7 Spiny stems or leaves 43 Inflorescence a spike, simple and monopodial
8 Tendrils present 44 Inflorescence a corymb, simple and monopodial
9 Cladodes or phyllodes (modified branches or petioles) 45 Inflorescence an umbel, simple and monopodial
10 Hairs glandular 46 Inflorescence a fascicle, simple and monopodial
11 Hairs stellate (also 2-armed, branched and tufted) 47 Inflorescence a head, simple and monopodial
12 Hairs stellate (not 2-armed, branched and tufted) 48 Inflorescence simple and sympodial (cyme, dichasium etc.)
13 Hairs 2-armed or t-shaped, non-glandular 49 Inflorescence compound, sympodial or monopodial (panicle, thyrsus
14 Hairs branched etc.)
15 Hairs tufted, non-glandular 50 Flowers bisexual
16 Hairs peltate or scale-like 51 Flowers unisexual
17 Hairs vesicular or bladder-like 52 Flowers actinomorphic
18 Hairs stinging 53 Flowers zygomorphic or irregular
19 Cystoliths present (dicots only) 54 Receptacle small (ovary superior)
20 Leaves opposite or verticillate 55 Receptacle enlarged, united with the ovary, totally or partially
21 Leaves alternate (excl. distichous monocots) covering it
22 Leaves distichous (monocots only) 56 Receptacle enlarged, totally or partially free from the ovary (super. to
inf.)
23 Leaves equitant (e.g. Iris)
57 Receptacle enlarged, conical or hemispherical (ovaries superior)
24 Leaves not compound
58 Disc present (annular or separate glands)
25 Leaves compound
59 Disc absent
26 Leaves pinnately compound (4 or more leaflets)
60 Perianth segments 0
27 Leaves ternately compound (3 leaflets)
61 Perianth segments 1
28 Leaves palmately compound (4 or more leaflets)
62 Perianth segments 2
29 Venation pinnate or hardly visible in leaves or leaflets (incl. no. 30)
63 Perianth segments 3
30 Venation invisible or leaves 1-nerved (monocots only)
64 Perianth segments 4
31 Venation longitudinal in leaves or leaflets (incl. 3-nerved leaves)
65 Perianth segments 5
32 Venation palmate in leaves or leaflets
66 Perianth segments 6
33 Leaves or leaflets with entire margin (without any lobes or teeth)
67 Perianth segments more than 6
34 Leaves or leaflets lobed or divided
68 Perianth of similar segments
35 Leaves or leaflets dentate, serrate, crenate, etc.
69 Perianth of calyx and corolla
36 Epidermis of leaf papillose (dicots only)
70 Sepals 0 (incl. a cupular calyx without lobes)
Methods of identification
1) Taxonomic keys
Dichotomous key
Compare two contrasting statements:
couplet = two contasting leads
Polyclave key
List presence / absence of all features
2) Written Description
Tecoma capensis (Thunb.) Lindl., Cape-Honeysuckle (native to S. Africa). Bignoniaceae.
Plant a shrub, up to ca. 5 m tall. Root a woody taproot with numerous lateral roots. Stems (aerial) highly and sympodially branched by abortion of terminal
inflorescence meristems, branches basally inclined. Bark brown, smooth to minutely furrowed, lenticels orbicular to vertically elliptic with raised borders,
ca. 1-2 mm wide. Twigs terete, minutely puberulent. Pith solid, circular in outline. Fruit scars (of infructescence) raised, circular, typically at junction of
two, lateral branches. Leaf scars slightly raised below, orbicular with truncate apex. Vascular bundle scar U-shaped. Buds in leaf axils small (ca. 2 mm
long), with outer two scales in a plane tangential to stem axis, scales valvate, lance-ovate and strongly cup-shaped, densely pubescent; terminal buds naked,
elongate, to 5 mm long. Leaves 10-12 cm long, imparipinnate, petiolate, exstipulate, evergreen, cauline, opposite-decussate, divergent to inclined, and
planar to recurved. Petiole green, terete to canaliculate, 1-3 cm long. Leaf outline elliptic. Leaflets 9 [11], opposite. Lateral leaflets elliptic to widely
elliptic, subsessile, 15-17 mm long, 10-14 mm wide, base attenuate to obtuse, sometimes oblique, margin usually proximally entire and serrate to crenate
distally, apex acuminate (caudate), tip minutely mucronulate, Apical leaflet widely elliptic, usually petiolulate (petiolule green, narrowly winged, 3-13 mm
long) 24-30 mm long, 15-20 mm wide, cuneate, entire at base and distally serrate to crenate, acute to accuminate, mucronulate. All leaflets pinnate-netted,
midvein and secondary veins sunken above and raised below, mostly glabrous but with arachnose trichomes near abaxial vein junctions, mesophyllous.
Inflorescence a terminal thyrse with several bracteate units of simple dichasia or of solitary flowers, the latter often with two abortive, lateral flower buds or
with two sub-basal bracts (indicative of a vestigial dichasium). Flowers perfect, ca 50 mm long, ca 25 mm wide, opposite, appressed, recurved,
zygomorphic, pedicellate. Pedicel ca 7 mm long, terete. Bract 1 subtending each unit of inflorescence, 1-5 mm long, lanceolate, mucronulate. Bractlets 2,
sub-basal, subtending lateral flowers if simple dichasium present. Perianth biseriate, dichlamydeous. Calyx synsepalous, actinomorphic, ca 5 mm long.
Calyx lobes acute, mucronulate, ca 1 mm long. Corolla sympetalous, orange, zygomorphic, salverform-bilabiate with enlarged throat, ca 45 mm long,
recurved, inner surface pubescent. Corolla lobes 5 (2 posterior, 2 lateral, and 1 anterior), oblong to elliptic, apices rounded to emarginate, 7-12 mm long, 5-
7 mm wide, inclined to divergent and recurved relative to floral axis. Stamens 4 fertile, uniseriate, filamentous, epipetalous, didynamous, alternipetalous,
exserted, apostemonous. Staminodium 1, medio-posterior, reduced, up to ca 10 mm long. Filaments (of fertile stamens) terete, yellow-orange, 35-40 mm
long. Anthers versatile, basifixed, longitudinally and introrsely dehiscent (downwardly dehiscent at maturity), ca. 3 mm long, thecae divergent. Pollen
orange. Gynoecium syncarpous. Perianth/Androecial position hypogynous. Ovary superior, green, 4-5 mm long, narrowly obloid, glabrous. Carpels 2.
Locules 2. Placentation parietal-axile. Ovules many. Styles 1, terminal, apically recurved, purple-brown. Stigmas 2, ovate, divergent to appressed.
Nectary dark maroon, doughnut-shaped, surrounding ovary base. Fruit a brown loculicidal capsule (with persistent replum), narrowly oblong, up to ca. 1
cm wide and 6 cm long. Seeds flat, with surrounding, yellowish, translucent wing, ca. 15 mm long and 8 mm wide (including wing), seed body roughly
orbicular, ca. 6 mm in diameter.
FLORAL FORMULA: K (5) C (5) A 2+2+1staminode G (2), superior.
Methods of identification
1) Taxonomic keys
Dichotomous key
Compare two contrasting statements:
couplet = two contasting leads
Polyclave key
List presence / absence of all features
2) Written Description
3) Specimen Comparison
Methods of identification
1) Taxonomic keys
Dichotomous key
Compare two contrasting statements:
couplet = two contasting leads
Polyclave key
List presence / absence of all features
2) Written Description
3) Specimen Comparison
4) Image Comparison
Puya alpestris
Methods of identification
1) Taxonomic keys
Dichotomous key
Compare two contrasting statements:
couplet = two contasting leads
Polyclave key
List presence / absence of all features
2) Written Description
3) Specimen Comparison
4) Image Comparison
5) Expert Determination
Ask him: Dr. Jon Rebman (SD)
Expert on Plants of San Diego County and Baja California,
& Cylindropuntia spp.
Identification
Always check and double-check an identification.

Taxon identified could be new to a region.

Identification could be negative, indicating a taxon new

to science.