Field Guide Table of Contents

AN ADVANCED FIELD GUIDE TO THE WILDFLOWERS OF THE NORTHEAST:

COMBINING FIELD AND SYSTEMATIC BOTANY/ACCESSING GLEASON AND CRONQUIST (1991 and 1998) BY IDENTIFYING PLANT FAMILIES

The only field guide that uses the principles of systematic botany to construct an identification guide for field botanists.

(IN PROGRESS)

Copyrighted material, 1996. No reproduction without written permission.

Dr. Patrick L. Cooney; 221 Mt. Hope Blvd.; Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706

Introduction

How to Use This Guide

Glossary

Floral Formula Lookup -- Count the Flower Parts and Simply(?) Look it Up (just started this one)

Name Changes in Newcomb According to Gleason & Cronquist

THE TABLES

Use these tables to find the appropriate section numbers.

Master Table: Guide to the Types of Plants

.....	scales or needles	lvs not parallel-veined	lvs parallel-veined	water plants
reproductive structures:	.....	.....	.....	.....
no flowers (fruits cones or cone-like structures)	see Table 1. Gymnosperm families	.....	.....	.....
flowers	.....	Angiosperms: see Table 2 section numbers of dicot familie	Angiosperms: see Table 4 section numbers of monocot familes	.....
composite flowers	.....	Aster family: see Table 3 section numbers of Aster tribes	.....	.....
water plants	.....	.....	.....	see Table 5 section numbers of water plants

TABLE 1. GYMNOSPERM FAMILIES

.....	lvs spirally arranged linear, twisted to form flat sprays	lvs spirally arranged, or sometimes fascicled, linear or needle-like, never scale-like	needle-like or scale-like	mostly scale-like; some needle-like
fleshy covering of the seed	Taxaceae (yew)	.....	.....	.....
more or less definite cones	.....	Pinaceae (pine)	.....	.....
female cones woody w/ spiraally arranged ovuliferous scales	.....	.....	Taxodiaceae (bald cypress)	.....
female cones small, woody or leathery, or berry-like	.....	.....	.....	Cupressaceae (cypress)

GUIDE TO THE ANGIOSPERMS (i.e., fleshy-covered seed plants)

TABLE 2. SECTION NUMBERS OF DICOT FAMILIES

BY SUBCLASS, FLOWER TYPE, & # OF STAMENS COMPARED TO # OF PETALS

.....	1. uni- sexual	2. no petals	3. N or >	4. 2x	5. equal	6. fewer
I. Primitive flowers MAGNOLIA sub-class; mostly with superior ovary; stamens centripetal	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. bowl shaped (tepals); superior ovary	I.1.1	.....	I.1.3	I.1.4	I.1.5	.....
2. stamens only apparent	.....	I.2.2	.....	.....	.....	.....
3. no petals, fused sepals	.....	I.3.2	.....	.....	.....	.....
4. imitators, fused irreg (but N stamens)	.....	.....	I.4.3	.....	.....	.....
II. catkins, balls WITCH HAZEL	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. catkins (wind-pollinated trees)	II.1.1	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
2. ribbon-like petals	.....	.....	.....	.....	II.2.5	.....
3. flowers indistinct (hemps, nettles)	II.3.1	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
III. indistinguishable (plus some w/ inflated calyx); when numerous, stamens centrifugal PINK	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. bowl-like -- inferior ovary	.....	.....	III.1.3	.....	.....	.....
2. no petals (many families)	III.2.1	III.2.2	.....	.....	.....	.....
3. separate, regular petals;	.....	.....	III.3.3	III.3.4	III.3.5	.....
4. separate reg petals; fused sepals; more stamens than corolla lobes	.....	.....	.....	III.4.4	III.4.5	.....
IV. catchall category -- DILL subclass; when numerous, stamens centrifugal	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. bowl-like (but with sepals) (mallows	.....	.....	IV.1.3		IV.1.5	.....
2. catkins plus flowers (willows)	IV.2.1	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
3. sep reg pet, but w N or grouped stamens	.....	IV.3.2	IV.3.3	.....	.....	.....
4. sep petals but they look fused (heaths)	IV.4.1	.....	IV.4.3	IV.4.4	IV.4.5	.....
5. sep irreg petals (caper, violet, Indian pipe)	.....	.....	IV.5.3	.....	IV.5.5	.....
6. fused reg pets (gourd,heath)	IV.6.1	.....	IV.6.3	IV.6.4	IV.6.5	.....
V. separate petals ROSE (when numerous, stamens centripetal; rarely fused petals)	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. no petals	V.1.1	V.1.2	.....	.....	.....	.....
2. sep reg petals	V.2.1	V.2.2	V.2.3	V.2.4	V.2.5	.....
3. sep irregular petals	.....	.....	V.3.3	V.3.4	V.3.5	.....
4. fused imitator (oleaster)	.....	V.4.2	.....	.....	.....	.....
VI. fused petals ASTER (stamens often equal to or less numerous than the petals)	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. no petals	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
2. fused regular petals	.....	.....	.....	VI.2.4	VI.2.5	VI.2.6
3. fused reg petals & fused seps	VI.3.1	.....	.....	.....	VI.3.5	VI.4.6
4. fused irreg pets	VI.4.1	.....	.....	.....	VI.4.5	VI.4.6
5. fused irreg pets; stamens > 4 or 5	VI.5.1	.....	.....	.....	VI.5.5	VI.5.6
6. composite flowers (see Aster family)	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....

TABLE 3. SECTION VI.6 ASTER FAMILY (continuation of previous table)

These are compound flowers or composites because they are composed of a group of flowers. Since this family is very large, it is best to break the family up into tribes. Below is a table of three groups of aster tribes.

	ray flowers	disc flowers
disc flowers	VI.6.1 mostly disc and ray flowers (many daisy-like flowers)	VI.6.2 mostly disc flowers (many button like)
ray flowers	VI.6.3 ray flowers only (dandelion-like flowers)	.....

TABLE 4. SECTION NUMBERS OF THE MONOCOT FLOWERS BY FLOWER TYPES AND NUMBER OF STAMENS COMPARED TO NUMBER OF PETALS

.....	1 unisexual	2 stamens 2x+1	3 six	4 three	5 one to two
I. many aquatic plants FLOWERING RUSH	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. petals falling	.....	I.1.2	.....	.....	.....
2. petals look like petals (also see water plants)	.....	I.2.2	.....	.....	.....
X. flowers insig (see water plants)	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
X. no petals (see water plants)	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
X. grass-like water plants (see water plants)	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
II. spathe and spadix (hood and spike) ARUM	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. spathe & spadix (arum; sweetflag)	.....	.....	II.1.3	.....	.....
III. petals & sepalss distinct SPIDERWORT	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. pets & seps distinct	.....	.....	III.1.3	III.1.4
2. no pets, pet like seps, semi-aquatic	III.2.1	.....	.....	.....	.....
X. grass-like water plants (see water plants)	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
IV. sepals look like petals LILY	.....	.....	.....	.....	.....
1. sepals look like petals	.....	.....	IV.1.3	IV.1.4	IV.1.5
2. sepals not petal like	IV.2.1	.....	.....	.....	.....

TABLE 5. AQUATIC PLANTS WITH INSIGNIFICANT FLOWERS *

.....	1. emersed leaves: bract like	2. emersed leaves foliaceous
emersed leaves:	.....	.....
I. filiform segments	.....	.....
1. none compound-like	I.1.1 (water milfoil; feather foil; naiads)	I.1.2 (mermaid weed; naiads)
2. compound	I.2.1 (coontail; riverweed)	I.2.2 (lake cress; horned pondweed)
II. foliaceous segments	.....	.....
1. not compound	.....	II.1.2 (water starwort; water wort; water plantain; mares tail)