Plant Description

Conceptual Table of Plant Description Elements
Showing Character Groupings, Characters and Allowable Character States
(6/13/02)

Character groupings are shown in blue, characters in bold, and allowable character states in conventional font.

Global ID Number

Special Diagnostic Characters

Habitat
Prairie
Forest
Mixed edge

Taxon*

Rank
Kingdom
Subkingdom
Division
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Subspecies
Variety
Form

Name

Authority

Vernacular

Synonym
[Only for species level or below.]

*The "Taxon" grouping is recursive in that, for a given plant, a Rank, Name, Authority, etc., may be recorded for each level of the taxonomic hierarchy. Each rank is contained within the rank(s) above it, with the exception that infraspecific ranks (Subspecies, Variety and Form) are not required to be in a hierarchical relationship to one another (i.e. a Form does not have to be contained within a Variety or Subspecies, nor does a Variety need to be contained within a Subspecies).

Plant Habit and Life Style

Life Span Perennial Annual Biennial	Woodiness Woody plant Herbaceous plant	Growth Habit Broad leaf herbaceous Grasslike herbaceous Shrub Tree Vine Subshrub, trailing shrub Succulent-leafless Aquatic-floating Aquatic-submerged Aquatic-emergent Epiphytic Graminoid	Growth Form Bunching Single upright stem
Plant Height When Mature (m)	Nutrition Autotrophic Parasitic Semi-parasitic Saprophytic	Carnivory Carnivorous Not carnivorous

Stems

Stem Types
Aerial stem
Rhizome
Stolon
Bulb
Corm
Tuber

Stem Surface Features
Glabrous
Pubescent
Pilose
Villous
Strigose
Hirsute
Hispid
Scabrous
Tomentose
Puberulent
Stellate
Glandular
Punctate
Glaucous
Spiny, prickly, thorny
Nectary bearing

Pith
Continuous
Chambered
Diaphragmed

Leaves

Leaf Duration Evergreen Deciduous	Leaf Length (cm)	Leaflet Length (cm)	Leaf Width (cm)
Leaflet Width (cm)	Leaf Arrangement Alternate Opposite Whorled Basal Cauline	Leaf Complexity Simple Unifoliolate Bifoliolate Trifoliolate Ternate Biternate Once pinnately compound Bipinnately compound Tripinnately compound Once palmately compound Bipalmately compound Tripalmately compound	Leaf Shape Linear Oblong Lanceolate Ovate Obovate Elliptic Orbicular Reniform Needle-like Scale-like Fan-shaped
Leaflet Shape Linear Oblong Lanceolate Ovate Obovate Elliptic Orbicular Reniform Needle-like Scale-like Fan-shaped	Leaf Veins Pinnate Palmate Parallel	Leaflet Veins Pinnate Palmate Parallel	Leaf Margin Entire Crenate Crenulate Serrate Serrulate Double serrate Dentate Denticulate Plane Involute Revolute Undulate Ciliate Spiny or prickly
Leaflet Margin Entire Crenate Crenulate Serrate Serrulate Double serrate Dentate Denticulate Plane Involute Revolute Undulate Ciliate Spiny or prickly	Leaf Lobing Unlobed Pinnately lobed Palmately lobed	Leaflet Lobing Unlobed Pinnately lobed Palmately lobed	Leaf Base Acute Acuminate Attenuate Obtuse Cordate Hastate Auriculate Oblique Peltate Perfoliate Rounded Sheathing Clasping Truncate Sagittate
Leaflet Base Acute Acuminate Attenuate Obtuse Cordate Hastate Auriculate Oblique Peltate Perfoliate Rounded Sheathing Clasping Truncate Sagittate	Leaf Attachment Petiolate Sessile Subsessile	Leaflet Attachment Petiolate Sessile Subsessile	Leaf Apex Acute Acuminate Obtuse Mucronate Emarginated Truncate Rounded
Leaflet Apex Acute Acuminate Obtuse Mucronate Emarginated Truncate Rounded	Stipules Present-persistent Present-deciduous Absent	Leaf Upper Surface Glabrous Pubescent Pilose Villous Strigose Hirsute Hispid Scabrous Tomentose Puberulent Stellate Glandular Punctate Glaucous	Leaf Lower Surface Glabrous Pubescent Pilose Villous Strigose Hirsute Hispid Scabrous Tomentose Puberulent Stellate Glandular Punctate Glaucous
Petiole Surface Glabrous Pubescent Pilose Villous Strigose Hirsute Hispid Scabrous Tomentose Puberulent Stellate Glandular Punctate Glaucous	Rachis Surface Glabrous Pubescent Pilose Villous Strigose Hirsute Hispid Scabrous Tomentose Puberulent Stellate Glandular Punctate Glaucous

Flowers/Cones

Bloom Time	Flower Attachment Stalked Sessile	Inflorescence Position Terminal Axillary	Inflorescence Flowers solitary Catkin Head Spike Raceme Cyme Corymb Umbel Compound umbel Dichasia Compound dichasia Panicle
Breeding System Monoecious Dioecious Flowers perfect	Flower Symmetry Regular (radially symmetric) Irregular (bilaterially symmetric) Asymmetric	Petal Color(s)	Petal Number
Petal Fusion Separate Fused	Petal Length (cm)	Sepal Color(s)	Sepal Number
Sepal Fusion Separate Fused	Sepal Length (cm)	Position of Ovary Inferior Half-inferior Superior	Stamen Number
Pistil Number	Styles per Pistil	Placentation Marginal Axile Parietal Free-central

Fruits/Cones/Seeds

Fruit Type
  Follicle
  Capsule
    Septicidal
    Loculicidal
    Poricidal
    Denticidal
  Pyxis
  Achene
  Nut
  Nutlet
  Schizocarp   Mericarps
  Samara

Seeds

Other Features

Root Type
Tap root
Fibrous root
Adventitious

Conceptual Table of Plant Description Elements Showing Character Groupings, Characters and Allowable Character States (6/13/02)

Conceptual Table of Plant Description Elements
Showing Character Groupings, Characters and Allowable Character States
(6/13/02)