Explore Plants

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
    
 

Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Friday - April 22, 2005

From: cincinnati, OH
Region: Midwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Keys for identification of native plants in Ohio
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Do you know of any good web sites that provide keys for the identification of native plants? I'm conducting a wetland plant inventory in southwestern Ohio.

ANSWER:

North Carolina State University has a web site Wetland Plant Identification with dichotomous keys for woody vines, parallel-veined plants, gymnosperms, and trees and shrubs. The web page also offers the option to search by plant characterisitics such as leaf arrangement, leaf structure, axillary bud type, etc.

From the Univeristy of Wisconsin Herbarium at the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity there is a web page, Wetland Plants of Wisconsin, with pictures of leaves, flowers, fruiting heads and more for approximately 110 common wetland species.

From Washington State Department of Ecology there is An On-Line Version of an Aquatic Plant Identification Manual for Washington's Freshwater Plants.

There is a sample of an interactive software program to purchase for PCs using Windows 95 or higher to help in identifying 1,000 Weeds of North America

The University of Florida has a web page Aquatic and Wetland Plants and Invasive Plants with photographs and descriptions that can be searched by scientific name, common name or plant type category (grasses, ferns, sedges, rushes, etc.).

Virginia Tech has a Weed Identification Guide with a Grass Weed Identification Key.

Recommended available print sources are Wetland Plants and Plant Communities of Minnesota and Wisconsin from the Army Core of Engineers, A Great Lakes Wetland Flora for a field guide to vascular plants of the wetlands of the Upper Midwest, and Aquatic Plant Identification Cards from the University of Florida.
 

More Plant Identification Questions

Plant ID from Villa Hills KY
April 21, 2013 - Hello I have this plant but I don't know what it is. I want to know if it's edible or what it is. I think it's catnip.
view the full question and answer

Identification of plant known as mosquito plant (Agastache cana)
October 11, 2007 - I received some seeds from an annual plant that came from Bowie, Tx. It has square stems, like mint plants, medium size leaves turns purple when in the sun and had a strong odor when brushed against. ...
view the full question and answer

Plant Identification
June 30, 2005 - I have a plant that someone gave me and I don't have a clue what it is. I have a picture of it on my computer. If you can send me a email address where I can send the picture to you, that would be gre...
view the full question and answer

Plant identfication
December 06, 2009 - I found a shrub I like because of the black fruit that birds like to eat but I don't know what it is. It looks similar to a blackhaw but the edges of the leaves are smooth not jagged. The fruit is a...
view the full question and answer

Origin of cultivar of Sophora secundiflora
April 01, 2012 - Howdy, Mr. Smarty Plants! I am hoping you can shed some light on the origin of my silver-leaved TX Mountain Laurel, "Silver Peso". Some nurseries refer to it as a genetic variation of Sophora secu...
view the full question and answer

Smarty Plants's Facebook profile Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.

Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends.