SURVIVAL- PLANT IDENTIFICATION

You identify plants, other than by memorizing particular varieties through familiarity, by using such factors as leaf shape and margin, leaf arrangements, and leaf structure.

The Basic Leaf Margins are Toothed, Lobed, toothless, or Smooth

These Leaves may be: Lance-shaped, Elliptical,Egg-shaped. Triangular, Long-pointed, or Top-shaped.

The Basic Types of Leaf Arrangements are: Opposite, Alternate, Compound, Simple, and Basil- Rosette. 

The Basic Types of Root Structures are: Bulb, Compound, Clove, Tap-root,Tuber, Rhizome, Corm, 

Compound Root-Resembles a Floor Mop

Bulbs are familiar to us as onions, and, when sliced in half, will show the characteristic concentric rings. Cloves are those corm like structures that remind of garlic, and, will separate into small pieces, when broken apart. Corms are like a bulbs; but, are not layered, and, do not show concentric rings, when slice in half. These characteristics separate wild onions from wild garlic.Tap-roots resemble carrots and like a carrot, may be single, or branched, but, also like a carrot, usually only one plant stalk arises from each tap-root. Tubers are like potatoes.Rhizomes are usually large, or at least long, creeping rootstock, or underground stems. Many new plants arise from the "eyes" of tubers and rhizomes and, like the common, domestic, potato, they are perennial (come up year after year. A compound root or crown is the type of root structure found on plants such as asparagus (grass) and looks much like a mop-head under the surface

Bulbs
A true bulb, such as an onion, consists of fleshy layers of leaves that store food for the
developing plant. The roots at the bulb's base anchor the plant in the soil and absorb nutrients. The central tip at the top of the bulb is the bud from which leaves eventually emerge. Other examples of true bulbs include daffodils, tulips, lilies and garlic.

Corms
Corms, such as gladiolus, contain a solid mass of stem tissue, rather than concentric rings of leaves. Crocosmia, crocus, freesia and bananas are corms.

Rhizomes
The fleshy portion at the roots of a canna is called a rhizome, which is a general term for a stem that grows horizontally. Some of the best known rhizomes are ginger, bamboo and many irises.

Tubers
Then there are the tubers, the most well-known of which is the potato. A potato is technically a stem tuber, meaning that it's actually a swollen stem, or more correctly, the swollen tip of a rhizome.

Shoots develop from the buds or eyes on the potato, and much like a rhizome, you can cut the tuber into pieces. Each piece will develop into a mature plant so long as the cut piece has at least one eye. You can do likewise with dahlias; they are examples of root tubers, which develop from the root rather than the stem.

It is very prudent, to learn as much as possible about "Natures Garden Pantry". Some plants (like choke cherries, peaches--most fruits with a solid stone or pit, rhubarb) have both edible and poisonous parts. Many are edible only at certain times of the year. Others like the potato, and tomato; may have very poisonous relatives that often; but not always, look very similar.

© Al (Alex Alexander) D. Girvan 1995-2012