tree identification ashley peebles delaware forest service
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Taxonomic ClassificationKINGDOM
PHYLUM
CLASS
SPECIES
GENUS
ORDER
FAMILY
The basic processes of classification are grouping and ranking
Grouping involves the sorting of objects into groups that have some features in common – Ranking is the organization of the groups into a nested hierarchy of small groups within progressively more inclusive groups.
Each group that is recognized in the classification hierarchy is called a taxon
The lower the rank of a group, the more similar are the organisms grouped in it
PteriodophytesSEEDLESS PLANTS
ferns
VASCULAR PLANTS
BryophytaNON-VASCULAR PLANTS
mosses
SEEDED PLANTS
Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, Gnetophyta, Coniferophyta
GYMNOSPERMSplants that do not flower
MagnoliophytaANGIOSPERMS
plants that flower
LiliopsidaMONOCOTS
grasses
MagnoliopsidaDICOTS
KINGDOM PLANTAE
A species is group of closely related, structurally and functionally similar organisms which can breed among themselves
KINGDOM
PHYLUM
CLASS
SPECIES
GENUS
ORDER
FAMILY
Metaphyta
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliopsida
Sapindales
Aceraceae
AcerNo standardized suffix
Suffix name emphasized
Acer rubrumNo standardized suffix
Tips for learning families Each plant family has its own pattern of variation
No one species is truly representative of that pattern unless it is the only member of its family
Usually a family has several genera, each comprising one of more species. They are united as members of one family because they share a set of characteristics and are thought to share some common ancestry.
A feature that is uniform in one family may be highly variable in another. These “diagnostic features” are used to distinguish one from family from another.
Usually no one feature by itself is diagnostic. Each family is characterized by a combination of features.
!!! It is your task as a student develop a concept for each of the families you are assigned to learn. This concept should be broad enough that you will be able to recognize family members on sight, even if they are species or genera that you have not seen before.
Disadvantages of common names
Common name given one language is not universally helfpful
Wide ranging plants may have several common names
Sometimes two or more kinds of plants have the same common name
Some rare plants do not have common names
Bionomial nomenclatureAcer rubrum
2 part scientific naming of species
The first word is a noun, the name of the genus to which the plant is assigned
The second word is usually either an adjective or a possessive noun
Designated in Latin
First adopted by Carl Linnaeus in 1753
Generic Names A generic name (name of a genus) is treated a Latin noun.
It should be capitalized and either underlines or typed in italics
Generic names comes from various sources but are all referred to as the Latin name
Acer………………………ancient Latin for mapleConium…………………..Latinized form of an ancient Greek name Artemisia…………………Greek mythology- Artemis, the goddess of the hunt Dimorphotheca………….Greek, meaning two forms of fruitTrifolium…………………..Latin, meaning three leavesKalmia…………………….Named for Peter Kalm, a student of Linnaeus and botanical explorer in eastern North America
Species NameQuercus alba
A species name is a two-word name that consists of a generic name and a specific epithet. The specific epithet by itself is NOT a species name.
The specific epithet is usually written in lower case and underlined or italicized.
May be descriptive of the plant, may refer to its geological range or it may be descriptive of its habitat.
albiflora………….Latin compound meaning white-floweredchrysantha………Greek compound meaning yellow-floweredserrata……………Latin for saw-toothedarvensis…………..Latin meaning for fieldamericana………..from America pensylvancia………from Pennsylvania
The Dichotomous KEY to Knowledge
Keys are written to identify many groups in the natural world i.e. trees, rocks, fish, fossils, wildflowers, ferns
Keys consist of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of an organism
Compares different expressions of the same character (flower red or flower white)
Process of elimination
Tree keys concentrate on leaves for identification
TYPES OF LEAVES
Needles in bundlesEx: pines, spruces, hemlocks, larches
Flattened, scale-like leavesEx: junipers and cedars
True leaves- petiole, blade and midribEx: maples, oaks, cherries
LEAF ARRANGEMENT
Alternate leaves• One leaf and bud at every
node
Opposite leaves• Two leaves and two bud at
each node
The only three tree species in Delaware with an opposite leaf arrangement:
MAPLE, ASH, DOGWOOD
COMMON FRUITS
Reproductive structures are unique from species to species and are great for identifying tree• However, may only be available during certain times
of the year