Identifying Plants

To be able to identify a plant you need a plant key such as Budd's Flora and a plant (of course!). There are certain parts to a plant that are important in the identification process:

• The roots of a plant (if possible), and only if you are allowed to pick the plant.
• The entire stem - to see its branching pattern, the shape of its stem, whether it is smooth or hairy, its height, whether it is woody or is an herb, etc.
• The leaves - for shape, colour, texture and growing pattern
• The flowers - for color and shape
• The fruit and seeds - for colour and shape

Some understanding of plant structures helps in identification, but most plant keys will provide this information. The best advice for a beginner is to use a plant key with lots of coloured pictures. This will allow you to enjoy plant identifying without getting too caught up in details. As you become more familiar with plants and how a plant key works, you can begin to use books with fewer pictures and challenge yourself to identify more difficult species.

To verify your finds you can check on the internet, but make sure you use the species name in the search engine as common names can vary. Another option is to consult a herbarium, such as the G.F. Ledingham Herbarium in the Biology department of the University of Regina or the one at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.

Collecting Plants

Depending on where you are plant hunting, you may be able to pick some of the plants. However, please verify that what you are picking is not a rare plant. You are not allowed to pick plants in a Regional, Provincial or National Park - these are protected areas. You are also not allowed to pick flowers that are emblems of the province you are in. For example, you cannot pick the Western Red Lily in Saskatchewan. You can pick flowers from roadways and ditches and other areas that have no designation posted. Generally, always check before you pick to see if it is okay to do so. Once you have collected a plant, check out our activity page for building a plant press.

When setting out to collect plants, you will need:

• plastic freezer baggies, large ones if you are collecting large plants
• twist-ties
• numbered index cards, each cut into four pieces
• a permenant marker
• gardening tools for digging up roots
• snippers for cutting branches
• gloves to protect your hands - some plants are pric2004-09-29il
• a camera (optional)

1. Once you know you are allowed to pick the plant, try to get as much of the plant body as you can.

2. Place the plant in a bag and put an index card with a number on it (written with the permenant maker) inside the bag, and close with a twist-tie.

3. Record in your field notebook the number you assigned that plant. Or if you feel confident in your plant identification, use the species name. Write down the specific location (whether it was on a slope, a valley floor, field, etc.), who collected the plant, the date of collection, any other significant species in the surrounding area, and the soil type.

4. Keep the collected plants in a dark and cool place (such as a car trunk or in a shady spot), until the plants can be put into a plant press.

Enjoy and happy plant hunting!!!!

Page last updated on 2004-10-08
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