Identifying plants
 

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Brian
writes

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Just Molly" wrote in message
news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui...

"Bob Smith" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there
a
website
or piece of software for me to identify things myself?

i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers.

It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks like.
If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work
identifying it from the Encyclopedia.

Franz
_________
I agree with Franz. The very best texts for identifying wild
plants use a comprehensive key and very few illustrations.

Depends a bit on your knowledge level! You have to be a fairly
enthusiastic amateur botanist to use Stace, for example. I tend to use
Fitter et al, and give up with getting any closer identification than
eyebright, dandelion or hawkweed ;-)

For garden plants, I use the Roger Phillips and Martin Rix books becuase
their photos are close up and therefore better for identification - many
of the RHS photos give you an overall picture, but without a close up.
But they're a good start.

No cultivated
flower key seems to exist.

It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties being
developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter of
adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the dichotomies
further up the key.

Long, long ago, in the days before PCs, I remember helping a colleague
with a program that took a key, added in your new species in the middle,
and checked all the consequences all the way through the key. It was not
a simple process.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"
__________________
I agree that a key for cultivated plants would be impossible. A
help to group them is quite often found and then the encyclopaedia assists.
For wild plants I use Clapham,Tutin & Warburg~and can still get
lost. It is totally comprehensive and is the 'bible'. It has very few
illustrations. However I understand the point you make~~if one can
understand the use of a complex flora then it is quite likely that you don't
need a flora at all!!
Regards Brian.

Identifying plants
 

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Brian
writes

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Just Molly" wrote in message
news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui...

"Bob Smith" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is
there
a
website
or piece of software for me to identify things myself?

i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers.

It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks
like.
If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work
identifying it from the Encyclopedia.

Franz
_________
I agree with Franz. The very best texts for identifying
wild
plants use a comprehensive key and very few illustrations.

Depends a bit on your knowledge level! You have to be a fairly
enthusiastic amateur botanist to use Stace, for example. I tend to
use
Fitter et al, and give up with getting any closer identification
than
eyebright, dandelion or hawkweed ;-)

For garden plants, I use the Roger Phillips and Martin Rix books
becuase
their photos are close up and therefore better for identification -
many
of the RHS photos give you an overall picture, but without a close
up.
But they're a good start.

No cultivated
flower key seems to exist.

It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties
being
developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter of
adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the
dichotomies
further up the key.

It would be quite acceptable to me if such a keyed book stopped short
of the varietal level. Nowadays nurseries think they have to attach a
pet name to every plant they sell.

Long, long ago, in the days before PCs, I remember helping a
colleague
with a program that took a key, added in your new species in the
middle,
and checked all the consequences all the way through the key. It was
not
a simple process.

Franz

Identifying plants
 

"Just Molly" wrote in message
news:iA0Fc.178$JG6.62@newsfe4-gui...

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Just Molly" wrote in message
news:e0TEc.38$JG6.13@newsfe4-gui...

"Bob Smith" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is
there
a
website
or piece of software for me to identify things myself?

Bob


i swear by my RHS enyclopadia of plants and flowers.

It is good if you know a name and you want to see what it looks
like.
If you've seen the plant but don't know the name. it is hard work
identifying it from the Encyclopedia.

I don't think it is. If I see a small blue flower in late summer, I
just go
to late summer small plants and look in the blue flowered section.
Simple.

That's fine if what you are trying to identify happens to be in the
picture gallery. Unfortunately that has only a small fraction of the
plants mentioned in the A to Z.

Franz

Identifying plants
 

In article , Brian
writes

__________________
I agree that a key for cultivated plants would be impossible. A
help to group them is quite often found and then the encyclopaedia assists.

Yep. Same way as using taxonomy to identify a wild flower. Easy enough
to get the hang of most of the families found in the UK, but more
difficult with garden plants because a) they're species from across the
world and may be from a family not represented in UK b) there are so
many hybrids and particularly double flowers which make it hard to
identify the family.

So grouping by growth form, flower colour and season of flowering does
seem quite useful.

For wild plants I use Clapham,Tutin & Warburg~and can still get
lost. It is totally comprehensive and is the 'bible'.

It used to be the bible, but I gather Stace took over about 10 years
back.

It has very few
illustrations. However I understand the point you make~~if one can
understand the use of a complex flora then it is quite likely that you don't
need a flora at all!!

Well, I wouldn't say that! Rather that your knowledge and interest in
botany exceeds mine by rather more than mine exceeds that of the 'man in
the street' ;-)

Certainly with a flora you need the specimen in front of you and a hand
lens. Whereas if you see, say, grass of Parnassus, for the first time on
a long walk, you can come home with a strong visual memory and perhaps a
few pencilled supplementary notes and identify it from a good
illustrated wild flower book, whereas you wouldn't have a hope going
through a key. And if there is a closely related almost
indistinguishable species recorded from 3 locations above 1200 feet, a)
it's unlikely that that's what you saw and b) is your level of interest
*really* that strong?

Generic you of course, not you specifically !

Though I have to admit that, while I arguing in favour of an illustrated
guide in which the flowers are arranged in taxonomic order, I hate
guides where the wild flowers are ordered by colour of flower! Yet
arguably that could be useful for someone whose interest is less than
mine.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Identifying plants
 

In article , Franz Heymann notfranz.
writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...

It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties
being
developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter of
adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the
dichotomies
further up the key.

It would be quite acceptable to me if such a keyed book stopped short
of the varietal level. Nowadays nurseries think they have to attach a
pet name to every plant they sell.

Would it in fact be possible? Some of the varieties look different
enough to throw your identification, particularly half way down a key.
So although you might not be interested in the name of a variety, the
fact that it exists might be enough to throw the key completely.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Identifying plants
 

In article ,
writes

If I have an idea about a possible name I have a look on the MAVICA
site where they have photos and desciptions of over 4000 plants.
Not relevant really but in the last couple of years I have grown two
perennials from un-named seeds of the HPS. I liked them both very
much. When the first one was in flower I came across it in the
gardening section of the Sunday Times magazine it was
verbena bonariensis. The next one I spotted just as I walked into the
small garden centre I use; it is erysium helveticum. Great to get a
name. Diana

Garden centres can be great for plant identification. I've learnt a lot
just by wandering round ours and looking at the label of anything that
catches my eye. I went through several years of being interested only in
wild flowers, cacti and vegetables, so I had a lot of catching up to do
on the garden plants front!
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Identifying plants
 

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
notfranz.
writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...

It'd be a bit difficult, wouldn't it, with all the new varieties
being
developed. Addition of a new variety isn't necessarily a matter
of
adding a new question at the end - it may mess up one of the
dichotomies
further up the key.

It would be quite acceptable to me if such a keyed book stopped
short
of the varietal level. Nowadays nurseries think they have to
attach a
pet name to every plant they sell.

Would it in fact be possible? Some of the varieties look different
enough to throw your identification, particularly half way down a
key.
So although you might not be interested in the name of a variety,
the
fact that it exists might be enough to throw the key completely.

You have a point.

Identifying plants
 

"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "Don" contains these words:

"Bob Smith" wrote in message
...
I don't really like asking "what's this" all the time, so is there a
website
or piece of software for me to identify things myself?

On the other hand its always interesting to see what other people have
growing in their gardens and what the birds give to them (as it were).

And your requests for infor keep us on our toes. I for one like such
requests.

Most of us use the group to find ID's. You're welcome to ask; it's not
putting anybody out at all, because those who aren't interested or don't
know won't respond anyway.

When someone comes up with suggestions, I find google/images really
useful for looking them up to see what they look like.

Janet.



Thanks everyone. I will continue to ask. I usually upload a picture to my
web space and post a link to make it easier to identify.

Bob

Identifying plants
 

Hi

I've just bought the Flowering Shrub expert and the Flower Expert by Dr D G Hessayon and have identified quite a few of the unknown flowers in my garden, athough a website would be very handy.
I've thought about taking my digital camera out with me so I can snap pics of flowers I like in other gardens so I can id them from my book and then head off to a garden centre.

Any recommendations for good garden centres and nurseries in the Derbyshire/Leics/South Staffs area? (I live in Hilton).
Thanks.
Denize