pt. 2 Plant Morphology, Classification, and Nomenclature

What is plant classification?

the placing of known plants into groups or categories to show some relationship

____ follows a system of rules that standardizes the results, and groups successive categories into hierarchy

plant classification

Types of ways to classify plants: (all have problems)

use (can be overlap)

growth or physiological characteristics (can be changed with environment or culture) (i.e. herbaceous-woody: vine/tree shrub, deciduous-evergreen-semievergreen, annual-biennial-perennial, hardy-tender)

common names

What is the order of botanical classification?

kingdom

division

class

order

family

genus

species

variety or subspecies

forma

cultivar

family

an assemblage of genera that rather closely or uniformly resemble each other in general appearance and technical characters

____ of higher plants are separated from one another by characteristics inherent in their repro structures (flower, fruit, seed)

families

some families are very ___, some are ___ with one genus

large (Rosaceae> 100 genera, Asteraceae around 950 genera)

monotypic

genus

more or less closely related and definable group of plants comprising one or more species. This is an aggregate of closely related species

The species have more characteristics in common with ____ than they do with species of other genera in the same family

each other

____ is the most widely used feature of comparison (genus)

similarity of flowers and fruits

a genus may contain ___ or ___

single species (Gingko)

more than 100 (Rosa)

species

group of individuals that adhere to the essential identification characteristics but display sufficient variation so as not to be categorized as replicas of one another

What is the abbreviation for species?

sp. (singular)

spp. (plural - multiple of this)

What is variety?

a group of plants subordinate to a species

(natural variety) ___ will have a phenotype distinct from other varieties but will hybridize within those varieties if brought into contact. Usually these r geographically separate from each other

variety

(natural variety) variety will have a phenotype distinct from other varieties but will hybridize within those varieties if brought into contact. Usually, varieties r geographically separate from each other. These phenotypes are ____, and reproduce true to type in nature

heritable

What is the abbreviation for variety?

var. (or var.)

How is var. (variety) supposed to be written?

italicized or underlined

What is an example of a naturally occurring variety that does not produce thorns on the stems, though fruit (leguminous pods) may be seen?

Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis

Cultivars (cultivated variety)

cultivated plants developed by human manipulation and that r distinguished by specific characters, and when reproduced (sexually or asexually) retain those unique qualities

What are the sources of cultivars (cultivated variety)?

seeding variability, mutations, pathogenic, reagent, hybrids, etc.

Example of how to write out cultivated variety

Acer platanoides 'Crimson King'

Acer platanoides cv. Crimson King

Note the single quotes on either side of the cultivar name, which is not italicized or underlined

How is cultivar abbreviated?

cv.

intergeneric hybrid

cross between two different genera

interspecific hybrid

cross between two different species of same genus (common in ornamental horticulture)

an interspecific hybrid lily resulting from the cross between ____ (Lilium asiatic) and ____ (Lilium longiflorum)

Asiatic lily

Trumpet lily

intraspecific hybrid

is between different members of the same species with different characteristics (ex. ‘Honeycrisp’ apple)

What is the purpose of F1 hybrids?

created by crossing two inbred lines or strains to produce a seedling line with consistent characteristics (ex. petunia, marigold, impatiens, pic - Petunia grandiflora Limoncello)

Is it true that plants can have many different common names?

Yes (ex. Photinia x fraseri - photinia, fraser photinia, fraser’s photinia, red tips, red tops, etc.)

Who was a Swedish botanist who invented the modern system of binomial nomenclature? (1707-1778)

Carolus Linnaeus

What are the two parts of the binomial system?

generic name (genus) and specific epithet

How do you write out the parts of the binomial system?

first part is capitalized and second is lower case

scientific name is written in italics when printed and underlined when handwritten

Why do we use the binomial system?

for uniformity and universal understanding and it’s descriptive of the plant itself

(binomial system) The genus name describes what?

name given to a group of organisms whose physical characteristics are permanent and similar, and largely confined to a group

(binomial system) The species name describes what?

may be a noun or adjective. Usually indicates a distinguishing characteristic of the plant or a plant part. May identify natural habitat, location where first discovered, or honor a person

plant hardiness map is based on what?

average annual minimum winter temperatures, divided into 10-degree F zones

Heat zone map is based on what?

average high temperatures

Plant hardiness and heat zone maps help determine what?

which plants are most likely to thrive at a location

micro and mesoclimates are affected by what?

longitude, latitude, elevation, water, land forms, etc

The ____, or origin of something, speaks about its adaptation

provenance

What is an ecotype?

a group, race, within a species having unique genetically transferred physical characteristics that cause adaptation to a particular environment

What are the uses of ornamental plants?

decoration (permanent - trees and shrubs, temporary - annuals and flowering pot plants)

positive psychological/emotional value)

screening and barriers

recreation

art and architecture

fragrance

habitat

microclimates

Types of ornamental plants

Woody (trees, shrubs, vines*, groundcovers* - evergreen deciduous)

herbaceous (annuals and biennials, perennials, bulb-corms-tubers-rhizomes, aquatic plants, turf)

(nursery plants for landscaping) containerized plants

(nursery plants for landscaping) balled and burlapped plants

(nursery plants for landscaping) bare-root plants