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Plant Identification
This section has been written by Emma Craib.
The descriptions and opinions are hers, compiled from books and looks and internet sources, and are not neccessarily thorough, up-to-date or accurate, although attempts in that direction have been made!
Looking for something?
On these pages I plan to have photos of plants at different times of the year, with leaves, flowers, seeds or fruit and the plant in the winter.
The purpose of the guide is to give students, teachers and the community a useful and easily accessed guide to our school garden. Print-outs could be the basis of a "plant hunt" or part of student research projects on the plants. This identification project started July 1999.
When you follow the links you may find, in addition to the photos:
- basic botanical information about the plant
- uses for the plant by different peoples
- what insects feed or nectar on the plant
- interesting trivia.
CLICK HERE for maps of the garden.
Links to sites on the internet relevant to all this will be found on the Garden Links page.
Common Name, followed by (Botanical Name), followed by Family Name
Amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus) Amaranth Family
Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Bayberry Family
Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) Rose Family
Beach Plum (Prunus maratima) Rose Family Prunus are the "stone fruits" like peach, plum, nectarines.....
Blueberry; all are Heath Family
Creeping Blueberry (Vaccinium crassifolium procumbens) RIP...too cold and exposed in our garden; everyone of 8 plantsdied first winter (nursery rated it for us but reference books all had it listed for a warmer zone)
High Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Low Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Sunflower Family
Broom (Cytisus praecox 'Hollandia') Pea Family
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii and Buddleia x weyeriana)
'Honeycomb' is the yellow flowered one
Butter-and-Eggs (Linaria vulgaris) Snapdragon Family
Cheeses (Malva neglecta) Mallow Family
Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) Rose Family
Chrysanthemum
- Single Apricot Korean
- Tall Gangly Yellow Thing
Clover; all are Pea Family
White (Trifolium repens)
Red (Trifolium pratense)
Rabbit-foot (Trifolium arvense)
Hop (Trifolium agrarium)
Low Hop (Trifolium campestre)
Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) Grass Family
Creeping Charlie, Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Mint Family
Cranesbill (Geranium x oxonianum 'Bressingham's Delight'
Dogwood Dogwood Family
Twig Dogwoods
- Red Twig Dogwood - (Cornus alba 'Argenteo-marginata')
- Yellow Twig Dogwood -(Cornus sericea 'flaviramea') I think
Holly
Convex Leaved Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata 'convexa')
The Mint Family is huge and includes many things you usually don't think of as mints. The true mints belong to the Genus Mentha, which is the next step down towards specificity.
(Potentilla futicosa 'Abbotswood) the white flowered one;
and a yellow flowered one but I lst the variety name....
- Common (Plantago major)
- English (Plantago lanceolata)
We have both an old garden variety and a more muscular improved strain called 'Bravado'
Venus's Looking Glass (Specularia perfoliata) Bluebell Family
Vetch (Vicia ......) Pea Family I'm not sure which vetch this is
Viburnum (oops...lost the file but I stuck some photos there so you can identify it.)
Violets and their kin
Common Blue Violet (Viola papilionacea) Violet Family
Pansy (Viola tricolor hortensis) Violet Family
White Campion (Lychnis alba) Pink Family
White Mulberry (Morus alba) Mulberry Family
White Pine, Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) Pine Family
Wisteria
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) Witch hazel Family
- Chinese Witch Hazel (Hamamelis mollis)
- Witch Hazel (Hamemelis virginiana)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Sunflower Family
Yucca (Yucca filamentosa) Lily Family
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This site designed and maintained by Emma Craib
who welcomes your
comments and suggestions !
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Notes to myself: highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) would be a good addition, native, berries for animals; linden, yummy honey scent; pagoda dogwood, handsome leaf, can be pruned to stay small and well shaped; lilium, tiger, not native but is naturalized; how about California Poppy for show, or cosmos; more stawberries here and there;
