Campus Plant Project Guide

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Campus Plant Project Guide

Fall, 2009

Purpose: To learn to discern important plant characteristics and identify the most common plant species oncampus.

Requirements:

1. Draw and describe 25 species of plants (data pages). (100 points)

2. Identify 25 species of plants common to the Westminster campus. (100 points)

Note: You will have 8 - 12 hours of lab time during the next four to five weeks to complete this part of your leaf

project. The plant samples will be available at extra help

Procedure:

1. Select a station and carefully observe the plant sample. Record a detailed description of thespecimen (use theKey to the Common Trees of Askew Woods, the supplementary list and

descriptions of other campus trees, and any field guides that may be available in the laboratory).Include the following: 11 native trees; 11 exotic plants (Kudzu, privet etc); 1 fern; 1 moss, and

1 lichen (a total of 25 data pages). You will be provided a list of the trees and invasive plants to

include in your study.

Your description should be composed of at least 8 characteristics for each specimen.

Example of a descriptive: Please refer to the example on page 2. Draw (sketch) several (2-4) leaves for each specimen.Use yourSketching Leaves guide. Be sure to indicate how the leaves are arranged on the stem (alternate or

opposite); make your sketch to scale, and accurately show the details of your written description. Drawings will

be in pencil and other data sheet writings should be in black ink.

3. Complete the label on each drawing (Scientific name, common name etc).

Note: One drawing and description per page.

Due date: TBA

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Example Data Page

Scale: 1cm = 1 cm Name: R.K. Vermillion

Westminster Schools Fulton County, Georgia

Scientific Name:Acer rubrum Common Name(s): Red maple

Locality of Collection: The campus of the Westminster SchoolsHabitat: Mixed Coniferous-Deciduous Forest Collection Date: Fall, 2009

Description:(1) Leaf type: Simple (2) Arrangement: opposite (3) Blade shape: palmately lobed (4) Apex: Acute

(5) Base : Cordate (6) Margin: Doubly serrate (7) Status: NLS (8) Habit : Tree

North American Distribution, Environmental, Economic and

Ethno-botanic Information

Sources:Introduction: This is a quick guide to producing scientifically accurate sketches of leaves. Anyone can do this; it does

not require even a moderate degree of artistic flair.

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If you follow these directions and practice, you well produce good to excellent work without having had a formal course

in drawing. You may say, I cant draw a straight line! Well, no problem, youll use a ruler! So lets get started!

1. Select a specimen provided by you instructor. The specimen should fit the paper space, but its OK if some of thespecimen lies outside the frame. Just be sure to make an arrangement that will clearly show how two leaves are

attached to the stem. The example below is a red maple and it has simple and opposite leaves.

2. While holding the specimen in place, lightly trace its outline as in figure one.

Figure one.

3. Next, study the arrangement of the veins, and lightly and accurately draw those using quasi-parallel lines.

4. Using a straight edge, lightlyplace a few parallel guide lines as in figure one (dont cross the veins, but if you do,erase the marks). Youll use these guide lines soon to add hatching marks to your sketch.

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Figure two.

5. Next, using the quasi-parallel guide lines, add parallel hatchings to your leave as shown on the right hand leaf infigure two.

6. Now, add some detail to the leafs margin (the red maple leave is toothed) as in figure 2 (leaf hand leaf).

7. Next, add more hatching marks to add depth to your drawing (this is the only thing we have done so far thatcomes close to art!).Leave the veins un-hatchedas in figure two.8. Finally, add some curved hatchingmarks to the stem (this will give the stem a cylindrical appearance).At this point you should have one leaf detailed and the other leaf outlined. You may stop here and receive full

credit for your drawing. However, if you wish, you may complete the other leaf, but I wouldnt do that until you have

sketched and described the remaining specimens in your project.

Note: As you gain experience, you can experiment with hatching lines; curved hatching lines can reproducea wavy leave surface.

Common Names Scientific Names

1Loblolly pine Pinus taeda

2Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum

3Scarlet oak or red oak Quercus coccinea; Q. rubra

4Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora

5Tulip poplar (tuliptree) Liriodendron tulipifera

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6Red maple Acer rubrum

7White oak Quercus alba

8Flowering dogwood Cornus florida

9Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua

10Sourgum Nyssa sylvatica

11Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica12Mimosa (Silktree) Albizia julibrissin

13Chinese privet Ligustrum sinense

14Kudzu Pueraria montana

15Japanese Giant Timber Bamboo Phyllostrachys bambusoides

16Yellow grove bamboo Phyllostachys aureosulcata

17English ivy Hedera helix

18Oregon grape holly (holly leaf barberry) Mahonia aquifolium

19Autumn olive (Russian olive) Elaeagnus umbellata

20Japanese Wisteria Wisteria floribunda

11.-20. (These are exotic plants)21-22TBA

23Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides

24Moss Your choice

25Lichen Your choice

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A Key to the Common Trees of Askew Wood

The Westminster Schools Atlanta, GA 30327

Mr. Vermillion (Revised 8/2003)

1a Leaves needles or scales.21b Leaves broad...32a Needles in bundles of five....White Pine (Pinus strobus)

2b Needles in bundles of three..Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)3a Thorns present on stems or branches..43b Thorns notpresent.... .54a Leaves simpleHawthrone (Crataegus species)

4b Leaves common..Hercules club (Aralia spinosa)5a Leaves compound6

5b Leaves simple..106a Leaves twice compoundMimosa (Albizzia julibrissin)

6b Leaves once common..77a Leaves opposite8

7b Leaves alternate...98a Leaves fan-like..Buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica )8b Leaves feather-like.Ash-maple (Acer negundo)9a Leaflets 9 or fewer..Hickory (Carya species)

9b Leaflets 9 or more and midrib winged...Winged Sumac (Rhus copallina)10a Leaves simple and opposite...1110b Leaves simple and alternate or whorled....1211a Leaves lobedRed Maple (Acer rubrum)

11b Leaves notlobedFlowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)12a End buds clustered; fruit an acorn.1312b End buds notclustered or, if so, fruit notan acorn...1613a Leaf margins smooth, notlobed........................................14

13b Leaves feather lobed.....1514a Leaf widest near tip..Water Oak (Quercus nigra)14b Leaf width more or less uniform.Willow Oak (Quercus phellos)15a Leaves bristle tipped..Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata)

15b Leaf tips withoutbristles...White Oak (Quercus alba)16a Leaves fan of feather lobed...17

16b Leaves notlobed...............................................................2017a One, two, and three lobed leaves present.Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

17b Only one type of leaf present..1818a Leaf margins entire (smooth).Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

18b Leaf margin with teeth19

19a Leaf distinctly fan lobed (5-7 lobes)Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)19b Leafnotdeeply lobed, bark peels in sheetsSycamore (Plantanus occidentalis)20a Leaf heart-shaped............21

20b Leafnotheart-shaped.2221a Leaf margin with teethBasswood (Tilia heterophylla)21b Leaf margin withoutteethRedbud (Cercis canadensis)22a Leaf margin with teeth23

22b Leaf margin smooth (no teeth)2623a Teeth fine (like serrated steak knife)..2423b Teeth course (more like a saw blade).2524a fuzz on leaf midribs lower surface...Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

24bNo fuzz on leaf midribs lower surface.Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum)25a Leaf base symmetrically shaped...American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)25b Leaf base asymmetrically shaped.........Elm (Ulmus species)26a Leaf widest near tip..Pawpaw (Asimina trifolia)

26b Leaf widest near middle.2727a Stem pith chambered.........Sour gum (Nyssa sylvatica)

27b Stem pith notdistinctly chambered .........Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)

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Leaf Margins, Apices, Bases, and Types

Leaf Margins: Be aware that variation exists among cultivars and individual plants within the samespecies. (Adapted from http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hort/bio.html)

entireno kind of marginaldivision or nearly lacking

marginal divisionCornus florida(Flowering

Dogwood)

serrulatehaving very small, sharpstraight-edged teeth

pointing to the apexOxydendrum arboretum

(Sourwood)

serratehaving sharp, straight-

edged teeth pointing tothe apex

Tilia americana(Basswood)

doubly-serrateprimary teeth have smaller

secondary teethUlmus alata (Winged Elm)

dentatewith sharp, wide teeth

that are perpendicular tothe marginFagus grandifolia American

Beech

crenatewith shallow, obtuse or

rounded teeth, scalloped

sinuateuneven margin,

alternately deeply convexand concaveQuercus bicolor

undulatehaving a wavy up and

down edge

Fagus sylvatica

incisedcut, irregularly and more

orless deeply andsharplyPlatanus occidentalis

(Sycamore)

ciliatebearing hairs on the margin

Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum

Leaf Apices

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Be aware that variation exists among cultivars and individual plants within the same species.

acuminatetapering with

somewhat concavesides to a protracted,

acute pointCatalpa (Catalpa)

retuse

notched slightly at a usuallyobtuse apex

Liriodendron tulipifera

acutesharp, tapering with

essentially straight or

slightly convex sidesto a point

Amelanchier

emarginateshallow notch at the apex

Alnus glutinosa

obtuseblunt, rounded

enough for an angle

of 90 to be placedinside

Myrica pensylvanica

cuspidatewith an apical cusp--an

abrupt, sharp, rigid pointCercis canadensis

truncatenearly or straightacross at the apexLiriodendron

tulipifera

mucronateshort, sharp, spiny tip at the

apexQuercus imbricaria

Leaf Bases

Be aware that variation exists among cultivars and individual plants within the same species.

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cuneatewedge-shaped,

narrowlytriangular

Nyssa sylvatica

obliqueslanting with

unequal sides,

lopsidedCeltis

occidentalis

acutesharp, tapering

with straight sidesat a 90 degree

angle

Euonymus alata

truncatestraight across at the

endLiriodendron

tulipifera

roundedrounded like anarc of a circle

Zelkova serrata

cordateheart shaped,

having two roundedlobes forming a

deep sinusCercis canadensis

Leaf Shape

Be aware that variation exists among cultivars and individual plants within the same species.

lanceolatelength greater than

width, broadest at the

base, narrowing to theapex, lance-shaped

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

ovatemore or less rounded at

both ends and broadest

below the middle, egg-shaped

Cornus florida

elliptical

ellipse-shaped, narrowat each end, widest at

the middleCotoneaster dammeri

cordatemore or less rounded at

both ends and broadestbelow the middle, egg-shaped

Cercis canadensis

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ellipticalellipse-shaped, narrow

at each end, widest atthe middle

Nyssa sylvatica

oblonglonger than wide, sides

parallel, rectangular withrounded corners

linearparallel sides, long andvery narrow

Hemerocallis

auriculatehaving auricle(s) -- ear-

shaped lobe(s) at the baseof leaves or petals

Arabis caucasica

obovateinversely ovate,broader above the

middle than below

Myrica pensylvanica

oblanceolateinversely lanceolate,broader above the middle

and tapering to the base

Ilex glabra

spatulateoblong with the basal

end narrowed and theapical end rounded,

spoon-shaped

Myrica pensylvanica

needleslender leaf of manyconifers

Pinus sylvestris

palmatelylobedthree or more lobes

radiating fan-like froma common base

Acer saccharum

pinnately lobedsegments or lobes along

each side of a common

axisQuercus palustris

scale-likesmall appressed leaf or

bract

Juniperus

awl-liketapering from the base to

a sharp point

Juniperus

Leaf Types (Broad)

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simplenot

compound,

not dividedinto secondary

units

Cerciscanadensis

pinnately

compoundcompound leaf

with the leafletsarranged on

both sides of

the rachis oraxis bract

Fraxinus

americana

Palmately

compoundthree or moreleaflets radiating

fan-like from a

common basalpoint of

attachment

Aesculus

hipocastanum

Bipinnate-

ly

compoundtwice pinnate,the primary

leaflets are

divided intosecondary

leaflets, also

written 2-pinnate

Gleditsia

triacanthos

Plant Terminology

(http://www.centenary.edu/arboretum2/main/plants/dictionary.html#dentate)

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Acuminate-tapering gradually to a long thin point

Acute-applied to tips and bases of structures ending in a point less than right angle

Alternate-One leaf, bud, or branch per node

Apex-Tip; end opposite point of attachment

Apiculate-Ending with a short sharp abrupt point

Appressed-Lying flat against

Aril-Fleshy or pulpy covering or appendage from the base of a seed

Arillate-Having an aril or arils

Auriculate-Eared Awl-shaped-Having a linear shape and tapering to a fine point; narrowly triangular

Axil-The space between any two adjoining organs, such as stem and leaf

Axillary-In an axil

Berry-Any fruit with fleshy walls and with few to many seeds encased in soft tissue

Bixexual-Having both sexes present and functional in the same individual

Blade-Flattened and expanded part of a leaf, or parts of a compound laf

Brackish-Somewhat salty

Bract-A reduced leaf, particularly at base of flower or flower stalk

Branchlet-A small or secondary branch

Bristle-A stiff hairlike structure

Bundle scar-A scar within a leaf scar where the vein system broke when the leaf dropped

Bur-A rough, prickly, or spiny flower or fruit(or cluster of either) and any associated parts

Callus-A localized hardened or thickened protuberance of prominence

Calyx-Collective term for all the sepals of a flower, whether separate or united; the outer series of flowerparts and of the perianth

Capsule-A dry fruit with two or more rows of seeds

Carpel-A simple pistil or a unit of a compound pistil

Catkin-Inflorescence consisting of numerous bracts and unisexual apetalous flowers densely arranged on

drooping or erect spikes

Cilliate-Fringed with hairs Claw-The narrowed parallel-sided base of a sepal or petal in some kinds of flowers

Coastal Plain-Dry-land portion of the Atlantic Plain as opposed to teh Continental Shelf, the underwaterportion

Compound Leaf- one divided into 2 or more blades (leaflets)

Cone-A mass of ovule-bearing or pollen-bearing bracts or scales that are arranged spirally on a cylindricalor globose axis

Conic-Cone-shaped

Conifer-Plants without flowers, the ovules naked

Continuous pith- pith is uninterrupted by air pockets or chambers

Cordate-Heart-shaped in outline; descriptive of an ovate organ Coriaceous-Having a stiff leathery texture

Corolla-Collective term for all the petals of a flower, whether separate or united; the inner series of the

perianth

corymb-A flat- or round-topped flower cluster in which the outer pedicels are longer than the inner ones,the outer flowers opening before the center ones

Crenate-Having margins scalloped with shallow rounded teeth

Deciduous-Not evergreen; foliage dying and usually falling after growing season

Decurrent-Extending down and attached to the stem, forming a ridge or wing

Dehiscent-Opening by natural splitting, as an anther discharging pollen or a fruit its seeds

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Dentate-Toothed, having sharp spreading coarse teeth that are perpendicular to the margin

Denticulate-Finely dentate

Diaphragm-A corss partition; a membrane that separates, as in pith

Drupe-Fleshy indehiscent fruit having a single seed encased in a hard stony covering

Dune-Pile or ridge of loose sand deposited by wind action

Eared-Having an earlike process or appendage, usually at the base of an organ; frequently applied to leaves

and petals

Ellipsoid-Said of a 3-dimensional body whose plane sections are all either ellipses or circles

Elliptic-Oblong with the ends equally rounded or nearly so Entire-Smooth, without teeth or indentations; applied to margins, edges

Evergreen-Plants with live leaves persisting through one or more winter seasons

Falcate-Crescent-shaped

Fimbriate-Margin divided into narrow or filiform segments oftern of irregular sizes; fringed

Follicle-A dry one-celled fruit with a single placenta and splitting along the opposite edge

Fruit-A matured pistil together with any other structue that may adhere to it; the seed-bearing organ of aflowering plant and any attached structure

Glabrous- without hairs, bristles or stalked glands

Gland-A depression, protuberance, or appendage on the surface of an organ, which seretes a usually stickyfluid; any structure resembling such a gland

Glaucous-A surface with a fine white substance (bloom) that will rub of, as on some grapes and blueberries Globose-Globe-shaped; spherical

Glutinous-Sticky, gummy, having quality of glue

Hammock-A raised fertile area in the midst of a wetland and characterized by hardwood vegetation and

deep humus soil

Indehiscent-Not opening naturally or after maturity

Inflorescence-Any complete flower cluster including branches and bracts

Irregular- not growing in pairs (see opposite)

Keel-A central ridge on the back of plant parts such as sepals, petals, or bud scales

Knee-A woody knob arising from the root and extending above ground or water level

Lanceolate-Much longer than wide, widest below the middle, tapering toward apex, or both apex and base;

resembling a lance head Leaf scar-Mark left on a twig where a leaf has broken off

Leaflet-A single segment (blade) of a compound leaf

Lenticel-Small corky spot or line on the bark of a twig, branch, and/or trunk of a woody plant

Linear-Narrow and elongated with sides parallel or nearly so

Lobe-Segment of a leaf between indentations that do not extend to the midrib or base of the leaf

Midrib-Central or main vein of a leaf or leaflike part

Needle-A narrow usually stiff laef, as in pines, firs, and hemlocks

Node-The narrow region on a stem where a leaf or leaves are or were attached

Nut-An indehiscent one-seeded fruit having a hard outer wall

Nutlet-A small nut loosely distinguished by its size

Oblong-Elongate in form with sides parallel or nearly so, the ends more or less blunted and not tapering

Obtuse-A blunt point, the angle of the point being greater than 90 degrees

Opposite- growing in pairs, one on each side of the axis and 180 degrees from each other

Orbicular-Circular in outline

Ovary-The part of the pistil containing the ovules, which develop into seeds; matures into a fruit

Ovate-A 2-dimensional structure having the outline of an egg with the wider half below the middle

Ovoid-A 3-dimensional structure having the shape of an egg with the broader half below the middle

Ovule-The egg-containing sturcture that, after fertilization, develops into a seed

Palmate- radiately arranged, ribbed, or lobed, as fingers of a hand

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Palmately Compound- leaves with 3 or more leaflets arising from a common point

Panicle-An irregularly compound raceme

Papillose-Bearing small nipplelike projections

Pedicel-The stalk of a single flower

Peduncle-The main flower stalk of the inflorescence supporting either a cluster of flowers or the onlyflower of a single-flowered inflorescence

Peltate-Having the stalk of a leaf attached to the lower surface of the blade somewhere withing the margin

rather than on the margin

Pendulous-Drooping or hanging loosely Perfect flowers- flowers having both stamens and pistils

Perianth-The calyx and corolla collectively, or the calyx alone if the corolla is absent

Persistent-Remaining attached past expected time for dropping

Petal-One of the parts of the corolla, the inner set of the perianth; may be separate or united to another petal

Petiole-The attaching stalk of a leaf; sometimes absent

Pinnate-Having lobes or blades of a leaf arranged along the sides of a common axis, as the pinnae of a

feather

Pistil-The female ovule-bearing organ of a flower, composed of stigma(s) and ovary, usually with a style orstyles between; consists of a single carpel or of two or more fused carpels

Pit-Sometimes used for stone Pith- soft spongelike tissue at center of woody stems

Placenta-The ovule-bearing surface in the ovary and seed-bearing surface in the fruit

Pod-Any dry dehiscent fruit

Pollen-Male sporelike structures produced by anthers in flowers and by male cones of pines and their

relatives

Pome-A fleshy fruit, as in Apple or Pear, having several seed chambers formed from the ovary wall, part of

which is parchmentlike or bony in texture; the fleshy portion formed largely from the hypanthium

Prickle-A small sharp spinelike projection that is part of the bark or epidermis as in Hercules-club

Punctate-Spotted with colored or translucent dots or depressions, usually due to glands

Raceme-An inflorescence in which stalked flowers are arranged singly along a common elongated axis

Rachis-The main axis of a spike; or of a pinnately compound leaf, excluding the petiole

Reflexed-Abruptly turned or bent toward the base

Resin-Sticky plant exudate insoluble in water

Retrorse-Directed backward and downward

Revolute-Rolled under at the margin

Rosin-Hard substance remaining after evaporating turpentine from pine resin

Samara- winged, indehiscent fruit with one seed in elms and two seeds in maples

Scabrous-Rough or harsh to the touch due to minute stiff hairs or other projections

Scale-Applied to many kinds of small thin flat appressed usually dry leaves or bracts, often vestigial

Scurfy-Surface with small scalelike or branlike particles

Seed-A ripened ovule containing an embryo capable of producing a new plant Sepal-One of the parts of a calyx or outer set of flower parts; may be separate or united to another petal

Serrate- having sharp, sawlike teeth pointed upward or forward Sessile-Without any kind of stalk

Sheath-Atubular structure surrounding an organ or part, such as the basal bart of a leaf; the circle of scales

around the base of pine needles

Shrub-A woody plant under tree size, frequently with several branches at or near the base

Sinus-The cleft or recess between two lobes of an expanded organ

Spatulate-Like a spatula; somewhat widened toward a rounded end

Spike-A type of inflorescence in which stalkless flowers are attached along the sides of an elongated

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common axis

Spine-A sharp-pointed modified leaf or part of a leaf

Stamen-The pollen-producing organ of a flower, usually consisting of anther and filament

Stellate-Star-shaped

Stigma-The pollen-receptive part of a pistil

Stipe-Stalk of a pistil

Stipitate-Having or borne on a stipe

Stipules-A pair of structures, usually small, on the base of the petiole or on the stem near the petiole or on

both Stone-A seed with a bony covering

Style-That portion of the pistil between stigma and ovary

Superposed-Attached above another part

Terete-Circular in cross-section

Thorn-A hard sharp-pointed stem

Tomentose-Densely covered with soft fine matted woolly relatively short hairs

Tree-Plant with a perennial trunk a minimum of 4m in height and a diameter at least 7.5cm at breast height

Truncate-An apex or base nearly or quite straight across

Turbinate-Top-shaped; a solid having a tapering base and a broad rounded apex

Two-ranked-The attachment of alternate or opposite leaves on a stem in two opposite vertical rows, thus

the places of attachment lying in one plane Umbel-A type of inflorescence in which flower stalks of approximately equal length arise from the same

level on the stem like ribs of an umbrella

Villous-Densely covered with soft fine unmatted relatively long hairs

Whorl-Three or more structures in a circle, not spiralled; e.g. three or more leaves at a node.

Notes:

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