Find A Flower (Plant Genera) With Specific Traits
(with links to photos in CalPhotos of the species within the genera)
Flower Color
No petals or not observed
White Petals
Yellow Petals
Orange Petals
Pink - Red Petals
Violet - Blue Petals
Green Petals
Brown Petals
Many references suggest that flower color is not a good trait to use for identification of wildflowers -- in part because many species have wide variations in flower petal color and in part because we might not all interpret what we see the same.
I have include color in this system because for the non-scientific among us, it is one of the most obvious traits.
Number of Flower Petals
Flowers without petals or not apparent
Petals 3 or 6
Petals 4
Petals 5
More than 6 - Composite
Leaf Arrangement
Unsure
Leaves Opposite Or Verticillate
Leaves Alternate (Excl. Distichous Monocots)
Leaves Distichous (Monocots Only)
Leaves Equitant (E.G. Iris)
Leaves Peltate
Leaves Whorled
Basal Rosette
Compound Leaves
Unsure - Not Observed
Leaves NOT Compound
Leaves Compound (Check type in next section)
Type of Compounding
Pinnately Compound
Trifoliate (Ternate)
Palmately Compound
Leaf Veins
Unsure - Not Observed
None - Not Apparent (A below)
Pinnate (B)
Net (Palmate or Reticulate) (C)
Parallel (Longitudinal) (D & E)
Leaf Margins
Unsure - Not Observed
Entire (smooth)
Dentate, Serrate, Crenate, etc.
Lobed, Cleft, Divided
Most serious references use far more catagories of leaf margin types. I have attempted to simplify this set of traits.
Most images are courtesy of the
Florida Center for Instructional Technology.