Southeastern Flora

Glossary

Some of the characteristics used to identify your plant specimen may be unfamiliar to you. Please familiarize yourself with the glossary information below to assist in your search.

Flower Color

Select the color that most closely resembles the color of your plant specimen. If you specimen has more than one color, first search by the predominant colors. For these reasons, try searching by other color possibilities if your search does not yield any species that match your specimen.

Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly milkweed

Plant Form
	*Herb:* a plant lacking a persistent woody stem	Shrub: a woody plant with several main stems rising from the base	Graminoid: a herbaceous moncotyledon that might be described as "grass-like". Graminoids include plants of the family Poaceae or true grasses, Cyperaceae or sedges, and Juncacea or rushes.

	*Tree:* a woody plant with a main and usually solitary trunk with lateral branches	Vine: a herbaceous or woody plant that climbs by twining or tendrils or that creeps along a surface

Leaf Type

Simple: made of a single part, unbranched

Compound: made of two or more similar and united parts, or divided into two or more similar parts or leaflets



Simple Alternate	Simple Alternate	Simple Opposite	Simple Opposite	Simple Whorled



*Compound* Alternate	*Compound* Opposite	*Compound* Alternate	*Compound* Opposite	Double Compound Alternate	Double Compound Opposite

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate: a single leaf at a node

Opposite: two leaves at a single node

Whorled: three or more leaves at a single node



Alternate Simple	Alternate Simple	Alternate Compound	Alternate Compound	Alternate Double Compound



Opposite Simple	Opposite Simple	Opposite Compound	Opposite Compound	Opposite Double Compound



Whorled

Monocots and Dicots

Flowering plants or Angiosperms are the largest and most diverse group of plants. Angiosperms are divided into Monocots and Dicots. Monocots have one seed leaf and Dicots have 2 seed leaves.

Monocots: Can be determined by:

Flower parts (sepals, petals, stamens) usually in multiples of 3's.

Major leaf veins usually in parallel arrangement.

Dicots: Can be determined by:

Flower parts usually in multiples of 4's or 5's.

Major leaf veins usually in netted or reticulated arrangement.