In message , Lise
writes
... I've visited most of the resources mentioned in "MiniFAQ # 048" and
still don't know where to start to try and identify a plant I've never seen
before, neither in the field nor in books or sites I've consulted.

Is there a kind of "Finder" somewhere, where I could enter characteristics
in an orderly way ? like orderly choices between 2 or 3 possibilities, so as
to narrow the list at every step.

When you're not a botanist, it's not easy, because every site I visited
starts with names...

I have here in the back lane an :

1.- herbaceous plant, that grows around a "branching" stem, not an unique
stem with branches all starting on the same stem. The plant seems pretty
"tender", not at all "woody"

2.- the taller individuals are about 2 foot high right now. (I live in
Montreal Canada, and right now, dandelions have been in bloom for about 2
weeks, if you want to have an idea of the climate here)

3.- it bears yellow flowers arranged in rosettes (almost circles) at the
very end of a particular "stem". They look a bit like those of "hypericum",
with flowers that look like those of "buttercups"' but not shiny. Some of
the flowers have already given way to little ~ ½ inch long "beans", one per
flower. The beans stay upright. Not sure if there is or not one central
"floweret" in the Rosette, or only an outside circle of "flowerets".

4.- the base of the leaves don't have their own "stem" (petiole in French")

5.- new/branching stems originate at the base of the leaves, between the
leave and the mother stem

6.- the stems are round and bear hairs (~ ¼ inch)that don't prick or
irritate

7.- the "veins" under the leaves also bear the same kind of hair

8.- the leaves themselves don't bear hair, either on top or underneath, but
are not shiny

9.- the leaves are simple, but very "dented" even if all the "dents" are
curvy. In some parts of the leaves, there is very little "leaf material"
left along a main vein, until it spreads again along the vein branching.

10.- the contours of a leaf are "scalloppy" (~ ½ inch scallops), but on a
plane, not in 2 dimensions

11.- the leaves don't show any little breathing "holes" underneath

hope someone can help, and thanks for every tip.

If it happens to be an invading species, say so, I'll try to destroy them
before it's too late.


PvR's suggestion of a crucifer is plausible. Crucifer flowers have 4
petals, which seeing that 5 petals is commoner among eudicots, is a
useful confirming trait. (There are other yellow 4-petalled flowers,
e.g. Greater Celandine, Crosswort, Welsh Poppy, Evening Primrose, but
none with flowers in flattened clusters at the ends of stems come to
mind.) The leaf shape suggests Barbarea or Brassica (or something not
found in the UK) to me.

There's a key to plant families online, which might help. See

http://home.iae.nl/users/linea/start.html

(Perhaps this can go in MiniFAQ # 049, assuming I wasn't mistaken in not
seeing it in # 048.)

Counting bracteoles (if any), sepals, petals, stamens and styles can
help in identifying plants.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley