Other tips for plant ID
- Plants are individuals, and you are likely to find variations even among plants of the same species. For example, environmental conditions may affect the growth of a plant and alter its characteristics from what is considered 'normal'. This means that the characteristics of a plant may vary from the description you read in your field guide or flora.
- In a similar vein, when identifying herbaceous plants, it helps to see the whole plant. Very often, we find herbaceous plants that look different at the top of the plant than they do at the bottom–even leaf arrangement may vary from top to bottom of a single plant specimen. This is especially the case for many members of the Aster family (Asteraceae) and sometimes Mint family (Lamiaceae). One example of this is Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) which has profoundly different basal leaves than it does near the top.
- Plants are always in a state of change and flux, so certain characteristics do not last all season and cannot always be counted on to ID. It's always helpful to consider the time of year and acquaint yourself with plant life cycles to have a better sense of what characteristics you can expect in a plant at a given time of year. For example, it might be harder to ID certain aromatic plants in the winter based on aroma since volatile oils are more present in the warmer growing season.
- Spring can be the most difficult season for plant identification. Trees still lack their leaves, buds are just beginning to open and everything is on partially developed, making it difficult to find any good ID characteristics.
- Most importantly, rely on what you already know, while remaining open to the unknown. If you see a plant that reminds you of another plant or a part of a plant that reminds you of a part of another plant, take note of that – it's very possible the plants are related or at least very close relatives.
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