Plant collection assignment
BIOL 210 – Botany
Dr. Nuttle
Objectives:
- To learn about morphology of the major groups of plants.;
- To learn the most important terminology of plant morphology, focusing on broad terms like
inflorescence arrangement, flower parts, leaf shape, etc.;
- To develop skills in identifying plants, including preserving specimens and using plant keys and the
herbarium;
- To gain an appreciation for the diversity of plant life in our local environment.
You will need 10 specimens for a total of 50 points. This is 10% of your total class grade.
Hand in:
A collection of 10 mounted plant specimens with a typed sheet (or half-sheet) description, the key you used to
identify it, what steps in the key you took, the family name, and the scientific name of the plant paper-clipped to the
specimen sheet.
Of the 10 specimens:
2 must be ferns, clubmosses, or horsetails;
2 must by gymnosperms;
3 must have flowers (not just flowering plants: the flowers must be on the specimen).
The remaining 3 can be anything (e.g., any combination of the above, or trees that lack flowers but are
identifiable and complete).
Specimens:
- For herbaceous plants, it is almost always essential that you collect the entire plant (roots and all) with
flowers and/or fruits.
- For woody species, you usually don’t need flowers or fruits, but if you can get them, then it makes a
more useful specimen and it will usually be easier to identify.
Accompanying sheet:
Description: (1pt)
Date collected
Location (be specific)
Habitat (what conditions the plant is growing under)
Habit (growth form – tree, shrub, herb, approximate size)
Leaf description (margins, shape, arrangement, etc.)
Flower description (if applicable – number of each part, arrangement in inflorescences, etc.)
Fruit description (if applicable)
Description of stem (bark, color, etc.)
Root description (if applicable)
Other (anything else that seems distinct)
Key used to identify it and what steps you took or identifying characteristics (1 pt).
Family name (hint: ends in “-aceae”) (1 pts)
Scientific name (Genus and species, underlined or in italics). (2 pts).
Excellent specimen – complete specimen clearly displaying all plant parts, including stems, leaves, and fruits and/or
flowers, all flower parts if macroscopic or complete inflorescence preserving shape and characteristics (1 pt bonus).
Incomplete specimen – specimen lacks some essential characteristic necessary for identification, e.g., specimen is a
single leaf, an herbaceous plant lacking fruits or flowers, roots lacking when necessary, etc. ( – 1 pt).
Total: 5 pts per specimen (6 pts if you get the bonus).
Entire collection: 50 pts.
