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Plant Families (Common → Latin)
| Common Name | Latin Family | Key Characteristics |
| Carrot/Parsley family | Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) | Umbel flowers, hollow stems, DANGEROUS (contains deadly hemlocks) |
| Rose family | Rosaceae | 5 petals, often thorny, includes berries/tree fruits |
| Mint family | Lamiaceae | Square stems, opposite leaves, aromatic, generally safe |
| Mustard family | Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) | 4 petals (cross shape), pungent, generally safe |
| Daisy family | Asteraceae (Compositae) | Composite flowers, extremely diverse |
| Nightshade family | Solanaceae | 5-petaled flowers, MANY TOXIC (but includes tomatoes, potatoes) |
| Birch family | Betulaceae | Catkin flowers, includes birch, alder, hazel |
| Beech family | Fagaceae | Includes oak, beech, sweet chestnut (nut producers) |
| Grass family | Poaceae (Gramineae) | Hollow stems, jointed, narrow leaves |
| Lily family | Liliaceae | 6 petals, bulbs, MANY TOXIC |
Leaf Terminology
Arrangement:
- Alternate: One leaf per node, alternating sides
- Opposite: Two leaves per node, facing each other
- Whorled: 3+ leaves per node, circle around stem
- Basal rosette: All leaves at ground level, radiating from center
Shape:
- Lanceolate: Lance-shaped (longer than wide, pointed)
- Ovate: Egg-shaped (wider at base)
- Cordate: Heart-shaped
- Linear: Long, narrow (grass-like)
- Palmate: Hand-like (lobes radiating from point)
- Pinnate: Feather-like (leaflets along central axis)
Margins:
- Entire: Smooth edge (no teeth)
- Serrated: Saw-toothed edge
- Dentate: Toothed (teeth point outward)
- Lobed: Deep indentations forming lobes
Composition:
- Simple: Single leaf blade
- Compound: Multiple leaflets form single leaf
- Trifoliate: Three leaflets (clover, wood sorrel)
- Pinnately compound: Leaflets arranged along axis (ash, rowan)
Flower Terminology
Structure:
- Petal: Colored part attracting pollinators
- Sepal: Green outer part (protects bud)
- Stamen: Male part (produces pollen)
- Pistil: Female part (receives pollen, becomes fruit)
- Receptacle: Base where flower parts attach
Arrangements:
- Umbel: Umbrella-like cluster (Apiaceae diagnostic)
- Raceme: Flowers along single stem (foxglove)
- Panicle: Branched flower cluster
- Spike: Flowers directly on stem (plantain)
- Catkin: Hanging cluster (willow, hazel, birch)
Root/Underground Structures
- Taproot: Single main root going deep (dandelion, burdock)
- Fibrous roots: Many thin roots (grasses)
- Rhizome: Underground horizontal stem (nettle, couch grass)
- Tuber: Swollen underground stem (potato)
- Bulb: Underground storage (onion, wild garlic)
- Corm: Solid underground stem (crocus)
Growth Habits
- Annual: Completes life cycle one year (chickweed)
- Biennial: Two years (first year leaves, second year flowers/seeds – burdock)
- Perennial: Lives 3+ years (most trees, many herbs)
- Deciduous: Loses leaves seasonally (oak, birch)
- Evergreen: Retains leaves year-round (pine, spruce, holly)
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