Caitlin Lynch is a gardener at the Naval Cemetery Landscape, and a graduate student in the Earth and Environmental Science program at Brooklyn College (CUNY) studying ecological restoration. Her love of plants is what inspired her to return to school where she found a passion for field work and research. She is interested in the edible/medical uses of plants, seed collecting, and urban ecology. If she is not out in the wetlands of Jamaica Bay measuring grass, or at a beach clean-up, she can be found trying to identify every plant in sight.
Learning to identify plants and botanical terms can feel overwhelming with so many technical terms like peduncle (the stalk of a flower) vs petiole (the stalk of a leaf) and difficult to pronounce Latin names like Parthenocissus quinquefolia (aka Virginia creeper). Although I personally enjoy the challenge of mastering these words, I was able to identify and distinguish plants long before I ever knew who Carolus Linneas was or his system of binomial nomenclature. Most of us, even if we have never inspected a living plant, can recognize a number of plants – such as the food we eat. We have all learned to tell apart an apple from an orange and a cucumber from a cabbage. These are distinctions we take for granted since they are so common to us and seemingly obvious. However, this knowledge was learned through repeated observation and pattern recognition. Humans have forever relied on their ability to accurately identify plants in order to make nutritious food, effective medicine, strong building materials and many types of clothing. While taxonomic naming and technical terms are incredibly useful, it is important to remember that with or without these names our keen senses and memories can tell us exactly what we are observing and how it can be used.
Using our senses
When observing a plant we can use nearly all of our senses to gain information. Many plants produce unique scents in the crushed leaves or flowers and those aromas may change throughout the day based on conditions like when pollinators are active. Related plants often have similar fragrances such as those in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) including potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, or those in the mint family (Lamiaceae) which uncoincidentally includes many of the spices we use like oregano, thyme, basil and rosemary.
We can also use our sense of touch to feel if a leaf is smooth, waxy or hairy, etc. These common features also have equivalent botanical terms glabrous, glaucous and pubescent. Most of us have learned that certain plants have thorns or spines (such as the rose or blackberry vine) which we have learned to be cautious handling in order not to get poked. Many leaves may look similar visually but can be easily identified through touch such as the rough feel of the American elm (Ulmus americana) leaf (pictured above) and a look alike the Hophornbeam.
Looking for relationships
In addition to using plant guides and keys, it is helpful to look at what a certain plant is doing and how it is interacting with living and non-living things (like rocks, walls, waterbodies, sunlight, etc). For example, a grass of one species may be very difficult to distinguish from another if taken in isolation. However, if we are at the coast and New York City area, for example, and we find grass growing adjacent to a bay or the sea, that observation alone gives us greater understanding of which species that could be. Even without knowing the name, we know that it can live in places with very little shade and that are exposed to salt water.
We can also observe what other plants are growing around it, what insects, birds or other animals are interacting with it, or what humans are doing. By seeing some of these ecological and behavioral patterns, we can recognize that same plant again in the future. Certain plants are host plants to specific insects who lay their eggs in just a new species of plants. If we see the same type of insect or egg on a plant we can learn that there is a relationship there. Such as the aptly named Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) that is even named for the plant it inhabits and eats. (image). This beetle is commonly seen in the NCL due to the presence of so many milkweed plants.
In the Naval Cemetery Landscape, there are over 50 species of plants native to the Northeast United States. This includes trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, and vines. On the upcoming gardener lead walk on August 8 we will be practicing these intuitive and observational skills while connecting those to botanical nomenclature. Each participant will have the opportunity to sit with a plant and take in all that we can observe, including color, texture, fragrance, growth form, life stage, and even make up a new name!