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Wild Rose College of Natural Healing BOTANY FOR HERBALISTS Part 2 Learning Families Lesson 1 Plant

Wild Rose College of Natural Healing Terry Willard Cl.H PhD. ©2018 1

Botany 4 Herbalist

Part 2 Learning Families – Seeing Patterns

Inthislesson,wearegoingtogobacktothethemelistedoutinyourtextBotanyinaDay(BID)Tutorialonpageoneandlookattheninemajorpatternsoftheninefamiliesthatrepresentsomeofthemostcommonplantsyouwillsee.Thisagainrepresentover45,000species,lettingusgetasolidfootingintheworldofplantID.Notonlyarewegoingtoberelyingdeeplyonthebook,wewillliberallybeusingoneofyourbeston-lineresources,alsoassociatedwiththisbook,thewebpagehttp://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com.ThomasJ.Elpel,theauthorofboththebookandthewebpage,hasputalotofthoughtandworkintothesegreatresources,helpingthousandsofherbalistslikeyourselfgetagoodhandleonplantID.



Rememberplantidentificationisallaboutpatterns.Relatedplantsusuallyhavesimilarcharacteristicsandforourpurpose,similaruses.Insteadofthumbingthroughlargepicturebooksofflowers,orjustusingcomplexkeys,byknowingafewsimplepatterns,youmayrecognizethefamilyandbealongwaytowardknowingwhattheplantis.Ofcourse,ourultimategoalwilloftenbetoidentifythespecificplantwearelookingat,butforthisexerciseweareonlygoingtoconcernourrecognizingofpatternsdowntothefamilylevelandinthiscaseonlynineofthose.Asseeninthetext,wearegoingtomodifythepatternstonine;lookingat:Mustard,Mint,Parsley,Pea,Lilly,Mallow,Rose,AsterandGrassfamilies.Assoonaswehaveagoodhandleonthese,youwillbereadytogoontootherfamiliesandspecificherbs.Iknowitistemptingtoraceaheadandgoforthegoalbutputtingthetimeinnowwillsavetonsoftimeinthelongrun.Thebestwayforyoutolearnthesefamiliesistogooutintoyourenvironmentandfindthem.Thismightbeyourbackyard,yourgarden,orforawalkinthewoods.Iftheseoptionsaren’tsuitableforyou,youmightfindapark,vacantlot,orasolarium,botanicalgarden,ormaybeyourbestbetisaflowershop.Theideaistotryyourbesttofindseveralexamplesofeachfamily.Iwouldloveitifyoufoundatleast5examplesofeachfamily,butdoyourbestonthetreasurehunt.Asalreadystated,wehavelotsofresourcestocoverthismaterial.Weofcoursehavethislesson,thetextbook,theabovewebpage,Shanleya’sQUESTandthePatternsinPlantCardGame. Onceyouhavegottheseninepatternscommittomemory,wewillgoontotousingaplantkeytohelpuswiththeplantsthatdon’tfitintoourninepatterns.Youwillcontinuouslyseeavariationononephraseoverandoveragain...‘usually’,‘almostalways’,‘commonly’throughoutthedescription.Nowusuallysciencedoesn’tlikevaguewordslikethis.Sciencedemandsexactness.Welltheplantkingdomjustdoesn’trollthatway,itlikestoexpressitsindividuality.Sobepatientwithit,afterawhileyouwillgetafeelforit.What,afeelforit?Yes,onceyougetastrongknowledgeofafamily,sometimesyoujustfeelsomethinglookslikeitisinacertainfamily.Youwilloftenbewrong,butasyoufinetuneyourability,youwillberightmoreoftenthannot.Remember,plantsarelivingthingsandtheygrowinallkindsofshapes,justlikeyouandyourfriends.



The Mustard Family

KeyWords:4petalsand6stamens--4talland2short.

Mustardflowersareeasytorecognize.Ifyouhavearadishorturnipbloominginthegarden,thentakeacloselookattheblossoms.Whenidentifyingflowerparts,itisbesttostartontheoutsideoftheflowerandworktowardsthemiddlelikethis:sepals,petals,stamens,andpistil(s).Ontheoutsideofthemustardfloweryouwillsee4sepals,usuallygreen.Therearealso4petals,typicallyarrangedlikeeithertheletters"X"or"H".Insidetheflower,youwillsee6stamens:4talland2short.Youcanrememberthatthestamensarethemalepartoftheflowerbecausetheyalways"staymen".Thefemalepartisthepistil,foundattheverycenteroftheflower.ForthepurposesoftheMustardfamily,allyouneedtorememberis"4petalswith6stamens--4talland2short".Ifyoufindthatcombinationinaflower,thenyouknowitisamemberoftheMustardfamily.Worldwidethereare375generaand3200species.About55generaarefoundinNorthAmerica.AllspeciesofMustardareedible,althoughsometastebetterthanothers.Inotherwords,itdoesn'tmatterwhichspeciesofmustardyoufind.IfyouhavecorrectlyidentifieditasamemberoftheMustardfamily,thenyoucansafelytryitandseeifyouwantitinyoursaladornot.

Draba sp. Whitlow Grass



MostmembersoftheMustardfamilyareweedyspecieswithshortlifecyclesliketheradish.Lookforthemindisturbedsoilssuchasagardenorconstructionsite,wherethegroundisexposedtorapiddryingbythesunandwind.TheMustardssproutquicklyandgrowfast,floweringandsettingseedearlyintheseasonbeforeallmoistureislostfromtheground.Also,besuretolookcloselyataMustardseedpod,calledasilicleorsilique,meaningapodwheretheoutsidewallsfallawayleavingthetranslucentinteriorpartitionintact.Theycomeinmanyshapesandsizes,asyoucanseeintheillustration,buttheyalwaysformaracemeontheflowerstalk,whichlookssomethinglikeaspiralstaircaseforthelittlepeople.Withpracticeyoucaneasilyrecognizethemustardsbytheirseedstalksalone,andfromfiftyfeetaway.Identificationbytheseedstalksishelpfulsincemanyoftheflowersaretoosmalltopeerinsideandcountthestamenswithoutagoodhandlens.Interestingly,sixofourcommonvegetables--cabbage,cauliflower,kohlrabi,Brusselssprouts,broccoli,andkale--wereallbredfromasinglespeciesofmustard,Brassicaoleracea.Plantbreedersdevelopedthestarch-storageabilitiesofdifferentpartsoftheplanttocomeupwitheachuniquevegetable.Commercialmustardisusuallymadefromtheseedsoftheblackmustard(B.nigra)mixedwithvinegar.Asyoubecomemorefamiliarwiththisfamily,youwillbegintonoticepatternsinthetasteandsmelloftheplants.Whileeachspecieshasitsownuniquetasteandsmell,youwillsoondiscoveranunderlyingpatternofmustardness.Youwillbeabletorecognizelikelymembersofthefamilysimplybycrushingtheleavesandsmellingthem.

The Mint Family

Hesperis matronalis. Sweet rocket



Key Words: Square stalks and opposite leaves, often

aromatic. Ifyoupickaplantwithadistinctlysquarestalkandsimple,oppositeleaves,thenitisverylikelyamemberoftheMintfamily.Besuretosmellittoosincemanyspeciesofthefamilyareloadedwitharomaticvolatileoils.Therich,spicyqualityoftheseplantsmakesthemusefulincooking,andnearlyhalfthespicesinyourkitchencomefromthisonefamily,includingbasil,rosemary,lavender,marjoram,germander,thyme,savory,horehound,plusculinarysage(butnotsagebrush!),andofcoursemint,peppermint,andspearmint.Forthebeginningbotanist,thatisallyoureallyneedtoremember:"squarestalkswithoppositeleaves,andusuallyaromatic".Worldwidethereareabout180generaintheMintFamilyrepresentingsome3500species.Approximately50generaarefoundinNorthAmerica.Medicinallythisfamilyisrichinvolatileoils,especiallymenthol,oftenusedasthepenetratingvaporsincoughdrops.Thesespicyoilsarestimulatingandwarming,causingthebodytoopenupandsweat;somostoftheseplantsarelistedasdiaphoreticinherbalbooks.Thispropertycanhelpyoubreakafever.Afeveristhebody'swayof"cooking"themicroorganismsthatcauseinfections.Usingadiaphoreticherbcanhelpraiseamildfeverjusthighenoughto"cook"avirus,thus"breaking"orendingthefever.Volatileoilsarealsohighlylethaltomicroorganisms.Oncampingtrips,youcanusearomaticMintstohelppurifyquestionablewater.EatingafewMintleavesafterdrinkingfromacreekcertainlywon'tkilleverythinginthewater,butitsurehelps.YoucansafelysampleanymemberoftheMintfamily.SomespeciesliketheColeus,ahouseplantwithredandgreenleaves,havenoaromaatall,whileapatchofthemorepotentAgastachemaybringtearstoyoureyesjustpassingthrough.Notethatthereareahandfulofotherplantswithsquarestemsandoppositeleaves,whichmaybeconfusedwiththeMints.ThoseplantsarefoundintheLoosestrife,Verbena,andStingingNettlefamilies,butnoneofthemsmellminty.AsyoubecomeproficientatidentifyingmembersoftheMintfamilybytheirsquarestalks,oppositeleaves,andspicyaroma,youshouldalsofamiliarizeyourselfwiththeflowers.Noticeintheillustrationthatthereare5sepals,allfusedtogethersothatonlythetipsareseparate.The5petalsarealsofusedtogetherbutnotehowasymmetricalor"irregular"theflowersare,comparedtothemoresymmetricalor"regular"Mustardflowers.SomeMintflowersaremuchmoreirregularthanothers,butifyoustudythemcloselyyouwillseethattheytypicallyhave2petallobes

Prunella vulgaris. Self Heal.

Monarda fistulosa. Horsemint or Wild Bergamont.



upand3petallobesdown.Insidetheflowerthereare4stamens,withonepairlongerthantheother.AsyoulearnthesepatternsoftheMintfamilyyouwillbeabletorecognizeandusethemanywhereintheworld.

Parsley or Carrot Family

Key Words: Compound umbels. Usually hollow flower stalks.

TheParsleyFamilyincludessomewonderfuledibleplantslikethecarrotandparsnip,plusmorearomaticspicesfoundinyourspicecabinet,suchasanise,celery,chervil,coriander,caraway,cumin,dill,fennelandofcourse,parsley.ButunliketheMustardorMintfamilies,theParsleysarenotallsafeforpickingandeating.Infact,theParsleyfamilyisamongthemostimportantfamiliesofplantstolearnsinceitincludesthedeadliestplantsinNorthAmerica:poisonhemlockandwaterhemlock.Notethatthehemlocktreeistotallyunrelated.Foridentification,themostdistinctivepatternoftheParsleyfamilyisthe"compoundumbels".Noticehowallthestemsoftheflowerclusterradiatefromasinglepointattheendofthestalk,kindoflikeanumbrella.Attheendofeachoftheseflowerstemsthereisanotherumbrellaofevensmallerstems,hencethe"compoundumbrella"or"compoundumbel".Tobeatrueumbel,thestemsorspokesmustallradiatefromexactlythesamepoint.Otherflowerslikethecommonyarrowmayappeartohavecompoundumbelsbutlookcloserandyouwillseethattheflowerstemsarestaggeredoffthemainstalk,sotheyarrowisnotamemberofthis

Heracleum maximum. Cow Parsnip



family.AnotherpatternoftheParsleyfamilyisthatthestemsareusually,butnotalwayshollow.Kidshavebeenpoisonedusinghemlockstemsforstraws.WhenyourecognizethecompoundumbelsoftheParsleyfamilythenyouknowyouhavetobecareful.Youmustbe100%certainofwhattheseplantsarebeforeyouharvestthemforfoodormedicine.Morethanthat,youmustberight!Peoplediejustabouteveryyearthinkingtheyhavediscoveredsomekindofwildcarrot.Sohowdoyoudistinguishthepoisonousmembersofthefamily?Don'trushit.Youmightthinkthatlearningplantsisjustamatteroffillingupthediskspaceinyourheadwithdata,butthereisabitmoretoitthanthat.Nomatterwhatyoustudy,whetheritisplantidentification,art,ormath,youlearnbyconnectingneuronsinthebraintobuildaneuralnetworkforprocessingtheinformation.Gettingstartedisthemostdangeroustime,becausealltheplantstendtolookalike--kindofgreenmostly.Justpracticepointingoutcompoundumbelseverywhereyougo,startingwiththedillorfennelinthegarden.Themoreyoupracticethisandotherfamilypatterns,themoreyouwilllearntoseejusthowuniqueanddifferenteachplantis.Whenyouareproficientatrecognizingthemajorplantfamilies,thengobackandstartstudyingmoreoftheindividualplants.Eventhen,avoidrushingtoconclusions.Keepinmindthatwhenyourgoalistofindananswer,thenyouwillfindone,whetheritisrightornot.IfyouarepositivethatyouhaveidentifiedamemberoftheParsleyfamilycorrectly,that'sgood.Nowwaitandseeifyouarestillsureofyouranswerinafewdaysoraweek.Whenyougetgoodatrecognizingcertainspecieseverytimeyouseethem,thenyoumightconsidertryingouttheirappropriateedibleormedicinaluses.Worldwidethereareabout300generaintheParsleyfamily,representingmorethan3000species.About75generaarenativetoNorthAmerica.

Lomatium dissectum. Fern-leaf Biscuitroot



Pea Family

Key Words: "Banner, wings, and keel". Pea-like pods, often

with pinnate leaves. Ifyouhaveseenapeaorbeanblossominthegarden,thenyouwillbeabletorecognizemembersofthePeafamily.Theseareirregularflowers,with5petalsformingadistinctive"banner,wings,andkeel",asshownintheillustration.Thebannerisasinglepetalwithtwolobesthoughitlooksliketwothatarefusedtogether.Twomorepetalsformthewings.Theremainingtwopetalsmakeupthekeelandareusuallyfusedtogether.Theproportionsofthepartsmayvaryfromonespeciestoanother,butifthereisclearlyabanner,wingsandkeel,thentheplantisamemberofthePeafamily.Pea-likepodsareanotherdistinctivetraitofthefamily.Forpractice,lookataheadofcloverinthelawn.YouwillseethateachheadisaclusterofmanysmallPeaflowers,eachwithitsownbanner,wings,andkeel.Astheflowersmatureeachoneformsatinypea-likepod.I'llbetyounevernoticedthatbefore!ThePeafamilyisverylarge,with600generaand13,000speciesworldwide,alldescendantsoftheveryfirstPeaflowerofmanymillionsofyearsago.OvertimethePeashaveadaptedtofitmanydifferentniches,fromlowlycloversonthegroundtostatelytreesthattodayshadecitysidewalks.Familiesthislargeoftenhavesub-groupingscalledsubfamiliesandtribes.Itworkslikethis:Themostcloselyrelatedspeciesarelumpedtogetherintoasinglegroupor"genus".Forexample,thereareabout300speciesofcloverintheworld.Eachoneisclearlyunique,buteachoneisalsoaclover,sotheyarealllumped

Cytisus scoparius. Scotch Broom



togetherasonegenus,Trifolium(meaning3-partedleaves)andgivenseparatespeciesnamessuchasT.arvenseorT.pratense,etc.IfyoucomparecloverstoothermembersofthePeafamilythenyouwillseethattheysharemoreincommonwithalfalfaandsweetcloverthanwithotherplantslikebeansorcaraganabushes.Therefore,theclover-likeplantsarelumpedtogetherastheClovertribewhilethebean-likeplantsarelumpedtogetherastheBeantribe,andsoforth,foratotalofeighttribes.Eachofthesetribessharethedistinctivebanner,wingsandkeel,sotheyarealllumpedtogetherasthePeasubfamilyofthePeafamily.AllPeasacrossthenorthernlatitudesbelongtothisgroup.AsyoumovesouthyouwillencountermorespeciesofthePeasubfamily,plusotherplantsfromtheMimosaandBird-of-Paradise-TreeorSennaSubfamilies.Thesegroupsincludemostlytreesandshrubs,butalsoafewherbs.Theirflowersdonothavethebanner,wings,andkeel,howevermosthavepinnateleaves,muchliketheoneintheillustration,plusthedistinctivepea-likepodsthatopenalongtwoseams.Eachsubfamilyisdistinctenoughtoarguablyqualifyasafamilyinitsownright,buttheystillshareenoughpatternofsimilaritybetweenthemtolumpthemtogetherassubcategoriesofasinglefamily.Overall,theplantsofthePeafamilyrangefrombeingbarelyedibletobarelypoisonous.Somespeciesdocontaintoxicalkaloids,especiallyintheseedcoats.ManypeoplearefamiliarwiththestoryofChristopherMcCandlesswhotrekkedintotheAlaskawildernessin1992andwasfounddeadfourmonthslater.HehadbeeneatingtherootsofHedysarumalpinum,andassumedtheseedswereedibletoo,sohegatheredandatealargequantityofthemoveratwo-weekperiod.Theseeds,however,containedthesametoxicalkaloidfoundinlocoweed,whichinhibitsanenzymenecessaryformetabolisminmammals.ItisnowbelievedthatMcCandlesswasstilleatingbutstarvedtodeathbecausehisbodywasunabletoutilizethefood.Eventhecommongardenpeacanleadtodepressionandnervousdisorderswithexcessconsumption.So,itispossibletopoisonyourselfwithmembersofthisfamily,butittakessomeeffort.

Trifolium pratense. Red Clover



Lily Family

Key Words: Flowers with parts in threes. Sepals and petals

usually identical. Ifyoufindaplantwithparallelveinsintheleavesandregularflowerswithpartsinmultiplesofthree,chancesareyouhaveamemberoftheLilyfamily.Theflowershave3sepalsand3petals,usuallyidenticalinsizeandcolor.Anynormalpersonwouldjustsaythereare6petals,butbotanistsdistinguishadifference.Startingfromtheoutsideofthefloweryoucounttowardstheinside:sepals,petals,stamensandpistil.InLilies,thefirstlayerconsistsof3coloredsepals,whilethesecondlayerconsistsof3coloredpetals.Suchbotanizingmayseemoverlyacademic,butitbecomesimportantasyoulearnmorecomplexfamilypatterns.MembersoftheLilyfamilyhave6stamens,althoughsomemaybelackinganthers.Thetipofthepistil,calledthe"stigma"isalsonoticeably3-parted.YouaremostlikelytoconfusetheLilyfamilywiththeIrisfamily,exceptthattheIriseshaveonly3stamens,andIrisleavesgrowfromthebaseinaflatplane,asiftheplantshavebeensquashedinabook.Worldwidethereareabout250generaand3,700speciesintheLilyfamilyincluding75generainNorthAmerica.Asyoustudyplantsandtheirrelationshipsyouwillrealizemoreandmorethatevolutionisn'tjustanabstractionthathappenedinthepast,butanactiveprocessthatyoucanreachoutand

Fritillaria pudica. Yellowbell



touch.Forexample,ifonepopulationofdayliliesissimilarbutdifferentfromanotherpopulation,thenwemustdecideifthedifferencesconstitutemerevariationswithinaspecies,orawholenewspecies.Thisiskindofliketryingtofindthelinebetweentwoneighboringcities.Theremightbealotofdifferencedowntown,butyoucoulddrivethroughthesuburbsfromonetotheotherwithoutseeingtheboundary.Howdoyouknowwhenyouhavecrossedthelinefromonespeciesintoanewone?Thesameistrueatthefamilylevel.AmongtheLiliesthereisenoughvariationtojustifybreakingthefamilyapartintosmallerfamiliesofmorecloselyrelatedplants.Forinstance,daffodilsaresodifferentfromthemoretypicalliliesdescribedherethattheyreallydeserveafamilyoftheirown.ThetroubleisthatdaffodilsarecloselyrelatedtoplantsthatarecloselyrelatedtootherplantsthatarecloselyrelatedtomoretypicalLilies.Sowheredoyoudrawthelinebetweenonefamilyandtheother?Intheefforttoclearlydistinguishthesegroups,botanistshaveproposedtobreaktheLilyfamilyupintoasmanyas70distinctfamilies,buttonoavail.Recentgeneticstudiesarehelpingtoclearuptheconfusionandwilleventuallyrequireacompleterewriteofthefamily.Intheinterim,IrelyonthehistoricalsubfamiliesthatworkadequatelytogrouptheLiliesintotheirapproximaterelationships.VirtuallyeverythingintheLilysubfamilyisedible,suchasonionsandbluecamas,however,thereareafewdeadlyplantsintheBunchflowersubfamily(withbunchesoflittlewhiteorgreenishflowers),likethedeathcamaswhichcouldeasilybemistakenforedibleLilies.Forthisreason,itisimportanttoharvestliliesforfoodonlywhenyoucanpositivelyidentifythem,usuallywheninbloom.TheAsparagussubfamilyincludesliliesthatproduceberriesinsteadofdryseedcapsules.Someoftheberriesarebarelyedible,whileothersarenot.TheAgavesubfamilyincludesthosespinyplantsofthedesertsouthwest,theagave,sotolandyucca,anyofwhichcanbeusedasasourceoffiberformakingcordageorrope.TheAloesubfamilyincludesthemucilaginousAloeverasofavoredfortreatingsunburns.ThedaffodilbelongstotheAmaryllissubfamily.

Lilium columbianum. Columbia Tiger Lily



Mallow Family

Key Words: 5 separate petals and a column of stamens. Mucilaginous texture.

Ifyouhaveseenahollyhockorhibiscusflower,thenyoucanrecognizetheMallowfamily.Wildspeciesmaybesmaller,butyouwillknowyouhaveaMallowwhenyoufindafunnel-shapedflowerwith5separatepetalsandadistinctivecolumnofstamenssurroundingthepistil.Therearealso3-5partiallyunitedsepals,oftensurroundedbyseveralbracts.Crushanypartoftheplantandrubitbetweenyourfingers.Youwillnoticeamucilaginous(slimy)texture,eveninseeminglydry,desertspecies.Worldwidethereareabout85generaand1500species,including27generainNorthAmerica.Hollyhock,hibiscus,andcottonaremembersofthisfamily.Cottonistheonlymemberofthisfamilywithdocumentedpoisonousproperties.Allothersseemtobesafeforedibleandmedicinaluses.Okraistheediblefruitofavarietyofhibiscus.Marshmallowwasoriginallyderivedfromatypeofhollyhock.Someothermembersofthefamilycanbeusedasmarshmallowsubstitutes.Thegrounduprootorseedsarecoveredwithwaterandboileduntilhalftheliquidisgone.Thentheliquidisbeatentoafrothandsugarisadded.Itshouldmakesomethingresemblingwhippedcream.Theplantscontainnaturalgumscalledmucilage,pectin,andasparagin,whichgivesthemaslimytexturewhencrushed.Itisthepresenceofthesegumsthatcreatesthemarshmalloweffect.ThemembersoftheMallowfamilyaremostlyedibleasasaladgreensandpotherbs,althoughnotverycommonlyused,probablyduetotheirslimyconsistency.Theflowersandseedsarealso

Iliamna rivularis. Mountain Hollyhock



edible.Medicinally,themucilaginousqualityoftheMallowsmaybeusedjustliketheunrelatedAloeveraorcactus:externallyasanemollientforsoothingsunburnsandotherinflamedskinconditions,orinternallyasademulcentandexpectorantforsoothingsorethroats.

Rose Family

KeyWords:5sepalsand5petalswithusuallynumerousstamens.

Oval,serratedleaves.Ifyouhaveeverburiedyournoseintoanapple,rose,strawberry,orcherryblossom,thenyouknowtheRosefamily.Roseshavealternateleaves,whichvaryfromsimpletotrifoliate,palmate,orpinnate.Thewholeleavesorsmallerleafletsarefrequentlymoreorlessoval-shapedwithserratededges,whichisagoodsecondarypatternforrecognizingtheRosefamily.Asfortheflowers,therearetypically5(rarely3to10)separatesepalsandasimilarnumberofpetals.Thereareaminimumof5stamens,butoftenmanymore,usuallyinmultiplesoffive.ManyflowersoftheRosefamily,especiallythoseoftheRosesubfamily,haveseveraltonumeroussimplepistils,orthepistilsmaybeunitedatthebase,withthestylesseparate,makingasinglecompoundpistilwithnumerousstyles.Eitherway,theresultisadistinctive,fuzzy-lookingcentersurroundedbylotsofstamens.PlantsoftheRosefamilyformmanydifferentfruits,varyingfromfleshyfruitstovariousfalsefruits,dryseeds,capsules,orfollicles.

Rosa acicularis. Prickly Rose



Worldwide,thereareabout100generaand3,000species.About50generaarefoundinNorthAmerica.TheRosefamilyproducesmanyediblefruits.Tanninsarecommoninthevegetation,givingastringentproperties.Cyanidecompoundsarefoundintheleavesandfruitsofsomespecies.Intheearly1900s,botanistsreclassifiedtheformerSpirea,Plum,andApplefamiliesassubfamilieswithintheRosefamily.Inresponse,RobertFrostpoemed,"Theroseisaroseandwasalwaysarose.Butthetheorynowgoesthattheapple'sarose,andthepearis,andso'stheplum,Isuppose.Thedear[Lord]onlyknowswhatwillnextprovearose.You,ofcourse,arearose-butwerealwaysarose."TaxonomistshavesincedeterminedthattheSpiraea,Plum,andApplesubfamiliesdidnotrepresentgeneticallydistinctlines,butshouldmoreproperlycombinedasasinglesubfamily,nowknownastheAlmondsubfamily,Amygdaloideae.Whenyouhaveaspecimeninhand,thenreadthrougheachofthesubfamiliestonarrowdownthechoicesforidentification.SubfamiliesoftheRoseFamilyRoseSubfamily|DryadSubfamilyAlmondSubfamily:Spiraeas|Plums|Apples

Aster or Sunflower Family



Key Words: Composite Flowers in disk-like heads.

TheuniquenessoftheAsterorSunflowerfamilyisthatwhatfirstseemstobeasinglelargeflowerisactuallyacompositeofmanysmallerflowers.Thefamiliesoldnamewas‘compositefamily’.Lookcloselyatasunflowerinbloom,andyoucanseethattherearehundredsoflittleflowersgrowingonadisk,eachproducingjustoneseed.Each"diskflower"has5tinypetalsfusedtogether,plus5stamensfusedaroundapistilwithantennae-likestigmas.Lookcloselyatthebig"petals"thatringtheoutsideoftheflowerhead,andyouwillseethateachpetalisalsoaflower,calleda"rayflower,"withitspetalsfusedtogetherandhangingtooneside.PlantsoftheAsterfamilywillhaveeitherdiskflowers,rayflowers,orboth.Whentheseedsareripeandfallaway,youareleftwithapitteddiskthatlooksstrikinglylikealittlegardenplotwhereallthetinyflowerswereplanted.Theflowerheadistypicallywrappedingreensepal-like"bracts"(modifiedleaves)surroundingthedisk.Thetruesepals(foundaroundindividualflowers)havebeenreducedtosmallscales,oroftentransformedintoahairy"pappus",orsometimeseliminatedaltogether.Oneofthebestcluesforidentifyingmembersofthisfamilyistolookforthepresenceofmultiplelayersofbractsbeneaththeflowers.Inanartichoke,forinstance,thosearethescale-likepieceswepulloffandeat.Mostmembersofthisfamilydonothavequitethatmanybracts,buttherearefrequentlytwoormorerows.Thisisnotafoolprooftest,onlyacommonpatternoftheAsterfamily.Next,lookinsidetheflowerheadforthepresenceofthelittlediskandrayflowers.Eventhecommonyarrow,withitstinyflowerheads,usuallyhasadozenormorenearlymicroscopicflowersinsideeachhead,andtheinsideofasagebrushflowerheadisevensmaller.Keepinmindthatmanymembersofthisfamilyhavenoobviousouterringofpetals,includingsagebrush.TheAstersarethelargestfamilyoffloweringplantsinthenorthernlatitudes,with920generaand19,000speciesfoundworldwide,including346generaand2,687speciesintheU.S.andCanada.OnlytheOrchidfamilyislarger,butitismostlyrestrictedtothetropics.ManyflowersfromtheAsterfamilyarecultivatedasornamentals,includingMarigold,Chrysanthemum,Calendula,andZinnia.Surprisinglyfewarecultivatedasfoodplantsotherthanlettuce,artichoke,endive,plustheseedsandoilofthesunflower.TheAsterfamilyincludesmanysubfamilies,onlyafewofwhicharenativetoNorthAmerica.TheChicory/DandelionsubfamilyandAstersubfamilyhavelongbeenrecognizedbytaxonomists.TheThistleandMutisiasubfamilieswereformerlyclassifiedastribeswithintheAstersubfamily,butrecentlyreclassifiedandpromotedassubfamiliesthemselves.

Gaillardia aristata. Blanket flower

Achillea millefolium. Yarrow.



Grass family

Key Words: Grassy plants with knee-like nodes on the flower

stems. Wedonotnormallythinkofthegrassesasflowers,yettheyare.Theyonlylacktheshowypetalsandsepalsbecausetheyarewindpollinatedanddonotneedtoattractinsects.Theflowerstypicallyhave3(rarely2or6)stamens.Theovaryconsistsof3unitedcarpels(syncarpous/tricarpellate),formingasinglechamber.Itmaturesasasingleseedcalledacaryopsis(grain)orrarelyanachene(adryseed)oraberry.Thefloweriscontainedbymodifiedleavescalledbracts.Thesearethechaffthatislaterwinnowedoutofharvestedgrain.Worldwide,thereareabout600generaand10,000speciesofgrass.About230generaand1,000+speciesappearinNorthAmerica.Allofourcerealgrainsbelongtothisfamily,includingwheat(Triticum),rice(Oryza),wildrice(Zizania),corn(Zea),oats(Avena),barley(Hordeum),millet(Echinochloa)andrye(Secale).Theseedsofvirtuallyallothergrassesarealsoconsiderededibleiftheyarenotinfectedbytheergotfungus.Anotableexceptionisryegrass(Lolium),whichisusedasasedativeandvasodilator.Itisconsideredpoisonousinexcess(Lust).Althoughmostgrassseedsareedible,theyarenotallnecessarilyeconomical.Someseedsaretoosmall,orotherwisedifficulttoprocessintoauseableproduct.Forinstance,theverysmallseedscanbedifficulttodigest.Theycanbetoosmalltogrindonametateortoosmalltoswellandturntomushwhencookedasahotcereal.Thebestgrassestoworkwitharethosewithbigseeds,muchheavierthanthesurroundingchaff.This

Phleum pratense. Timothy Grass



makesiteasiertoblowthechaffaway,whilekeepingtheseeds.Therearethreemaintechniquesofharvestingcerealgrainswithcrudeimplements.Onemethodistosimplystripthewholeseedheadsbyhand,collectingthematerialinacontainer.Anothermethodofharvestingistobeattheseedheadswithastick,whilecatchingtheseedsinapanortarp.Thethirdmethodistocutthewholestalks,placethemonatarp,thenbeattheseedsout.Theplantscanbedriedonthetarptomaketheseedsdropmoreeasily.Thenextstepintheprocessistobreaktheseedsfreefromthechaff.Rubbingtheroughmaterialbetweenthepalmsissufficientformostgrains.Someseeds,however,areencasedinahuskthatisimpossibletorubfreeofthegrain.Theseseedsaregroundup,huskandall,forahigh-fibercereal.Also,afewgrassseedscanbeparchedandthenrubbedtoremovethehusk.Grassesthatarehairyorsharpshouldbeavoided,astheycouldcauseirritationorinjurytothethroat.Winnowingisthenextstep.Thisremovesthechaffonceitisbrokenfreeoftheseeds.Winnowingisalittlelikegold-panning,whereyoucatchtheweightymetalandwashthelighterdebrisaway;infact,Irecommendusingagold-panforthisprocess.Swirlingthepanandoccasionallytossingthegrainlightlyintotheairbringsthelightchafftothesurface,soitcanbeblownaway.Anothercommonlyusedmethodistotosstherubbedmaterialintotheair,suchthattheseedswillfallstraightdownonatarp,butalightbreezewillcarrythechaffaway.Ihavenothadgoodresultswiththismethod,soIpreferthegold-pan/blowingtechnique,whereIcanpreciselycontroltheflowofwind.Ineithercase,youwillnotbeabletocompletelycleanoutthechaff.Thereisalwayssomeleft.Thatisokay.Itisgoodroughageforthedigestivesystem.

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