• Summer annual- The plant germinates in the spring or summer, produces flowers, sets seeds, then dies when the climate becomes unfavorable for the plant’s growth. This is usually the onset of winter and freezing weather.
  
• Winter annual- The plant germinates in late summer to early spring, produces flowers, then sets seed in mid to late spring. The onset of hot and dry summer weather usually causes the plant to die. Many winter annuals are cold hardy, therefore they will germinate before winter, then overwinter to flower the next spring.
  
• Perennial- Perennials live for more than two years. When started from seed, many perennials will not flower in their first year only producing a basal rosette (a low-growing clump of leaves).
  
• Biennial- A plant that requires two years to complete it’s lifecycle. In the first year it only produces vegetative growth. In the second year, after the weather warms, it flowers, sets seeds, then dies. It can be difficult to tell the difference between biennial and perennial as the first two years of the plant are essentially the same. The biggest difference is the perennial persists, and the biennial dies then comes back via seed.
  

Leaf Arrangement

• Alternate- Leaves are arranged singly along the stem, one leaf per node. Often the leaves alternate the side of the stem they originate from.
• Opposite- Leaves are arranged in pairs along the stem, two leaves per node.

Leaf Type

• Simple- A leaf blade that is all one piece, although it may be deeply lobed or divided.
• Compound leaf- A leaf that has more than one leaflet. These leaflets all originate from the same petiole.
• Trifoliolate- A compound leaf consisting of 3 leaflets. All clovers are trifoliolate.
• Pinnately Compound- Compound leaves in which leaflets are attached laterally along the stalk; leaves may be once, twice, or three-times pinnately compound.
• Palmately Compound- Compound leaves in which several leaflets radiate from the end of a stalk; like the fingers around the palm of a hand. Buckeye leaves are palmately compound

• Cordate- Leaf shaped like a heart. The petiole is attached between the two lobes.
• Elliptic- a simple leaf shaped like an ellipse
• Lanceolate- Leaf is much longer than wide. It is widest below the middle and tapering to both ends or rounded at the base.
• Linear- Leaf is very long and narrow, with essentially parallel sides.
• Lyrate- Leaf divided into several lobes with the smallest at the base.
• Obcordate- Heart-shaped, with attachment at or near the narrow end.
• Oblong- Leaf is longer than wide, with parallel sides. The shape is more or less rectangular.
• Obovate- Leaf is egg-shaped and the petiole is attached to the narrow end.
• Ovate- Leaf is egg-shaped and the petiole attached to the wide end.
• Pinnatifid- Of a leaf cut deeply into lobes, but by far not to the midrib
• Pinnatisect- Pinnately dissected to the midrib but having the segments confluent with it.
• Reniform- Kidney-shaped.
• Round- Leaf has a circular shape, often with petiole emerging from the center.
• Sagittate- Leaf is arrowhead-shaped, with the basal lobes more or less in line with the body.
• Spatualate- Leaf is shaped like a spatula. The shape is rounded above and gets narrower as it approaches the base.

• Cleft- The leaf’s margin is cut halfway to the midrib or base, similar to a sugar maple leaf.
• Crenate- The margin has shallow, obtuse or rounded teeth. It has a scalloped appearance.
• Dentate- The margin has sharp, wide teeth that are perpendicular to the margin.
• Denticulate- The margin has very small, sharp, wide teeth that are perpendicular to the margin
• Dissected- The leaf margin is deeply and repeatedly divided into smaller parts.
• Entire- There is no kind of marginal division or nearly lacking marginal division.
• Lobate- The margin is lobed.
• Serrate- The margin is toothed along the margin with sharp, forward pointing teeth.
• Serrulate- The margin is toothed along the margin with very small, forward pointing teeth.
• Spiny- The leaf margin has sharp spines.
• Undulate- The leaf has a wavy up and down edge.

Many times leaves will have more than one color, often depending on the maturity of the leaf, or the location of the leaf on the plant. Please select all the colors you see to ensure accuracy in the search.

• The easiest way to discover the stem shape is to twirl it in your fingers. If it is square you will feel the edges, if it is round it will twirl easily.
• Round- The stem is round in cross-section
• Square- The stem is square in cross-section. Mints are characterized by their square stems.

Stems can often have more than one color, often depending on the maturity of the stem or where it is located on the plant. Please select all the colors you see to ensure accuracy in the search.

Broadleaf - Flower

Flower Type

• Bilateral- The flower is symmetrical in only one direction. An iris is a typical bilateral flower.
• Cluster- Many flowers arranged in a wide, flattish structure. Queen Anne’s lace is a typical cluster flower.
• Composite- Flower consists of small, usually yellow flowers in the center, with longer and wider ray flowers along the edge. Daisies are typical composite flowers.
• Radial- The flower is symmetrical in many directions. A petunia is a typical radial flower.
• Spike- Many flowers arranged on a long stem with older flowers near the bottom and newer flowers and flower buds near the top, giving the stem a spike shape.

Flowers often have more than one color, depending on specific cultivar or species and sometimes maturity. Please select all the colors the flower presents to ensure accuracy of the search.

• Fibrous root- A thin root arising from another root or from stem tissue.
• Taproot- An enlarged vertical main root. A carrot is an example of a taproot.

• Summer annual- The plant germinates in the spring or summer, produces flowers, sets seeds, then dies when the climate becomes unfavorable for the plant’s growth. This is usually the onset of winter and freezing weather.
  
• Winter annual- The plant germinates in late summer to early spring, produces flowers, then sets seed in mid to late spring. The onset of hot and dry summer weather usually causes the plant to die. Many winter annuals are cold hardy, therefore they will germinate before winter, then overwinter to flower the next spring.
  
• Perennial- Perennials live for more than two years. When started from seed, many perennials will not flower in their first year only producing a basal rosette (a low-growing clump of leaves).
  

Blade Hair

• Hairy- Also known as pubescent, blades have hairs present from fine and soft to long and coarse on either side of the blade.
• Smooth- Also known as glabrous, blades are completely smooth with no hairs present.

Tip Shape

• Pointed- The tip of the blade comes to a fine point.
• Boat-shaped- The tip of the blade is shaped like the prow of a boat. It can also be described as a dull point.

Leaf bud (Vernation)

To find out the vernation of a grass, cut a cross-section of the stem and look to see if the pre-emergent blades in the stem are rolled or folded.

• Rolled- Blades are rolled in the stem.
• Folded- Blades are folded in the stem.

Sheath Hair

• Hairy- Also known as pubescent, the sheaths that surround the stem have hairs present from fine and soft to long and coarse.
• Smooth- Also known as glabrous, the sheaths that surround the stem have no hairs present.

• The easiest way to discover the stem shape is to twirl it in your fingers. If it is compressed you will feel the edges, if it is round it will twirl easily.
• Compressed- The stem appears flattish in cross-section.
• Rounded- The stem is round in cross-section

To find the ligule, gently peel the blade of the grass away from the stem, on the area of the blade the met the stem will be the ligule if present. [Photo?]

• Absent Ligule- The ligule is not present.
• Fringe of Hairs- The ligule is made of hairs forming a fringe.
• Uneven Membranous Ligule- The ligule is membranous, but the edge is toothed or otherwise uneven.
• Smooth Membranous Ligule- The ligule is membranous with an even, smooth edge.

A small projecting lobe or appendage found where the blade meets the sheath.

• Claw-like- Auricles are long, curved, and pointed.
• Hairy- Auricle appears to be made of hairs.
• Absent- Auricles are not present.

Most grasses have a combination of a fibrous root system and a modified stem. When selecting the root type, please select any type of root you see. If your sample has both stolons and rhizomes select both types and"AND" on the menu. If your sample either stolon or rhizome select only the root type you see and "AND" on the menu. If you are not sure, select all three and set the menu to "OR".

• Fibrous- A thin root arising from another root or from stem tissue
• Stolon- A horizontal stem at or just above the surface of the ground that gives rise to a new plant at its tip.
• Rhizome- A creeping underground stem, these can be quite thick. Iris’ are typical rhizomatic plants.

• Summer annual- The plant germinates in the spring or summer, produces flowers, sets seeds, then dies when the climate becomes unfavorable for the plant’s growth. This is usually the onset of winter and freezing weather.
  
• Perennial- Perennials live for more than two years. When started from seed, many perennials will not flower in their first year only producing a basal rosette (a low-growing clump of leaves).
  

• Flat- The leaf is flat in cross-section.
• Round- The leaf is round in cross-section

• Narrow- The leaf is under 2mm wide.
• Medium- The leaf is between 2mm and 5mm wide.
• Wide- The leaf is over 5mm wide.

Flowers often have more than one color, depending on specific cultivar or species and sometimes maturity. Please select all the colors the flower presents to ensure accuracy of the search.

• Radial- The flower is symmetrical in many directions. A petunia is a typical radial flower.
• Spike- Many flowers arranged on a long stem with older flowers near the bottom and newer flowers and flower buds near the top, giving the stem a spike shape.
• Cluster- Many flowers arranged in a wide, flattish structure. Queen Anne’s lace is a typical cluster flower.
• Aerial Bulblets- Miniature bulbs that are formed at the end of an aboveground stalk.

Aromatic

• Yes- The leaf has a strong scent when crushed.
• No- The leaf has little or no scent when crushed.

• Fibrous- A thin root arising from another root or from stem tissue.
• Rhizome- A creeping underground stem, these can be quite thick. Iris’ are typical rhizomatic plants.
• Bulb- A short, thickened, vertical underground shoot composed of modified scale-like leaves in which food is stored. A tulip comes from a bulb.

Lifecycle

• Summer annual- The plant germinates in the spring or summer, produces flowers, sets seeds, then dies when the climate becomes unfavorable for the plant’s growth. This is usually the onset of winter and freezing weather.
  
• Perennial- Perennials live for more than two years. When started from seed, many perennials will not flower in their first year only producing a basal rosette (a low-growing clump of leaves).
  

Blade Color

Blades can exhibit more than one color depending on maturity. Please select any color you see to ensure search accuracy.

Spikelet Shape

• Bottle brush- Shaped like a bottle-brush.
• Cylindrical- In a cylindrical shape, but the top will be rounded.
• Finger-like- Spikelets all originate from one point, the head will have the appearance of a splayed hand.
• Oblong- Seed head is longer than wide, with parallel sides; more or less rectangular with a rounded top.
• Ovoid- Egg-shaped.
• Round- Seed head is in a spherical shape.

Spikelet Color

Spikelet color may change depending on the maturity of the seedhead, if the plant is not found under the color you selected, either try a different color or leave that selection blank.

Seed Arrangement

• Loose- The spikelets have visible space between each one. The bottle-brush shape, by it’s very nature, is of a loose arrangement.
• Tightly Bunched- The spikelets are tightly packed together, there is no visible space between them.

Root Type

• Fibrous- A thin root arising from another root or from stem tissue
• Stolon- A horizontal stem at or just above the surface of the ground that gives rise to a new plant at its tip.
• Rhizome- A creeping underground stem, these can be quite thick. Iris’ are typical rhizomatic plants.
• Tuber- An enlarged underground stem that serves as a food storage organ. Sedge tubers are generally small; between a half inch to an inch in diameter.