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I - CLASSIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF WILDFLOWERS
II - A CLASSIFICATION OF SHRUBS
I - CLASSIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF WILDFLOWERS
How this page is organized
A rough key - use this section to tentatively identify the plant's family by its leaves, stems and flowers.
Families - use this section to verify the plant's family. If successful, there are then a limited number of possible species for the plant you are trying to identify and they are listed. Look them up in the wildflowers section of this website or another website or in a guide such as Peterson's Wildflowers.
Families with only one or two species in our area - there is no need to learn the characteristics of these families so they have been placed in this separate section. These families have only one or two species in our area so is best to just learn these species on sight.
A ROUGH KEY TO FAMILIES
By flowers, leaves, stems
By flower
Four petals
Mustard
Evening primrose
Bedstraw
Three or six petals
Lily
Amaryllidaciae (daffodils)
Numerous flowers in a head
Composite
Notched petals
Pink
Characteristic flowers
Snapdragon
Mint
Milkweed
Violet
Pea (clover)
Orchid
Bushy centers
Buttercup
Rose
St Johns wort
Umbels of flowers
Carrot
By leaves
Opposite-leaved
Mint
Pink
St John's wort
Milkweed
Dogbane
Nettle
Dogwood
Pinnately compound leaves
Pea
Dissected leaves
Carrot (parsley, umbellifera)
Buttercup
Leaves with parallel curved veins
Dogwood
Lily
Basal leaves mainly/only
Lily
Pyrola
Plantain
Clover leaves
Pea
Wood-sorrel
By stems
Square stems
Mint
A few snapdragons
Low/reclining
Heath
Bedstraw
Climbing
Pea
Cashew
FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS WITH EXAMPLES
(Not every plant in each family will show all the characteristics described)
Families with several species in our area
Bedstraw - very common
Small, spindly with whorled leaves
Examples: Wild madder, fragrant bedstraw
Buttercup - common
Usually 5 petals, bushy centers, leaves often finely cut
Examples: Tall buttercup, hooked buttercup, wood anemone, red baneberry, white baneberry, kidneyleaf buttercup, tall meadowrue, round-leaved hepatica, goldthread
Carrot (parsley, umbellifera) - common
Finely cut leaves, multi-flowers in umbels
Examples: Queen Anne's lace
Composite - very common
Multi-flowers
Can be divided into convenient groups
Examples:
Dandelion, coltsfoot, orange hawkweed, smoothish hawkweed, yellow hawkweed, hairy lettuce, chicory, sow thistle
Goldenrod: Canada goldenrod, blue-stemmed goldenrod, rough-stemmed goldenrod, gray goldenrod, grass-leaved goldenrod, tall goldenrod
Aster: New England aster, flat-topped white aster, heart-leaved aster, large-leaved aster, panicled aster, purple-stemmed aster, whorled aster
Thistle: Canada thistle, bull thistle
Miscellaneous: wormwood, beggar-ticks, chicory, daisy fleabane, Philadelphia fleabane, mugwort, ox-eye daisy, pearly everlasting, pineapple weed, ragweed, yarrow, spotted Joe-pyeweed, rattlesnake root, burdock
Evening primrose - fairly common
Few species; 4 petals, cross-shaped style
Examples: common evening primrose, enchanter's nightshade, smaller enchanter's nightshade, fireweed, willow-herb
Heath - very common
Low creeping plants or bushes, woody, flowers often bell-like and fruit a berry
Examples: blueberry, pipsissewa, wintergreen
Knotweed - very common
Inconspicuous flowers, jointed stems
Examples: false climbing buckwheat, lady's thumb, water smartweed, curled dock, broad dock, prostrate knotweed, arrow-leaved tearthumb, sheep sorrel
Lily - common
Leaves often thick, basal, parallel-veined and petals in threes.
Examples: bluebead lily, Canada mayflower, trilliums, dogtooth violet
Mint - very common
Stems square, flowers characterstic skullcap or snapdragon appearance, leaves opposite and toothed
Examples: wild mint, water horehound, bugle, bugleweed, catnip, ground ivy, heal-all, mad dog skullcap, marsh skullcap, hemp-nettle, motherwort
Morning_glory - less common
Showy, five petals in trumpet shape
Examples: bindweeds
Mustard - very common
Four petals, pod formation
Examples: dame's rocket, garlic mustard, wormseed mustard, Pennsylvania bittercress, winter cress and many other mustards
Nettle - somewhat common
Opposite toothed leaves, flowers in axils, stinging hairs
Examples: stinging nettle, false stinging nettle, wood nettle
Pea - very common
Characteristic flower with keel and banner, leaves pinnately divided or clover-like, often climbing
Everlasting pea, white and red clover, white and yellow sweet clover, black medick, hop clover, least hop clover, hog peanut, tufted vetch, pointed-leaved tick trefoil, birdsfoot trefoil
Pink - fairly common
Petals with notch, opposite leaves
Examples: chickweed, bladder campion, mouse-eared chickweed, lesser stitchwort, bouncing bet
Plantain - common
Examples: common plantain, pale plantain, common speedwell
Poppy - uncommon
Examples: celandine, pale corydalis
Primrose - somewhat common
Petals fused, stamens are opposite the petals, leaves may be wrinkled
Examples: Fringed loosestrife, whorled loosestrife, moneywort, starflower
Rose - very common
A big family. Sometimes thorns. Fairly bushy centers, five petals, alternate often toothed, often compound leaves.
Examples: Can be divided into groups:
Cinquefoil: rough-fruited cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil, rough cinquefoil, agrimony
Bramble: raspberry, blackberry, purple-flowering raspberry
Avens: white avens, yellow avens
Strawberry: strawberry, wood strawberry
Miscellaneous: dewdrop, tall meadowsweet
Violet - very common
Characteristic flower with a lip, beard; leaves often heart-shaped, often purple sometimes white
Example: wild violet, smooth yellow violet
Families with only one or two species in our area. Frequency is shown for our area (my experience)
There is no need to learn family characteristics for this group. One can just learn the plants' species names themselves.
Bellflower
Example: Bellflower (common)
Bluebell
Example: cardinal flower (fairly common)
Cashew
Example: poison ivy (common)
Dogbane
Opposite toothless leaves, bell-like small flowers
Examples: spreading dogbane (somewhat common), periwinkle (somewhat common)
Dogwood
Characteristic parallel curved vein leaves, woody
Examples: bunchberry (common)
Forget-me-not
Example: forget-me-not (very common), Virginia waterleaf (uncommon)
Ginseng
Example: Sarsaparilla (very common)
Iris
Example: Blue flag (somewhat common)
Loosestrife
6 petals
Examples: purple loosestrife (common), winged loosestrife (the only two loosestrifes in this area belonging to the loosestrife family; others belong to primrose family)
Mallow
Examples: Musk mallow
Milkweed - common
Opposite big leaves, characteristic multi-flower like claws
Examples: milkweed (common), swamp milkweed (somewhat common)
Orchid
Examples: Helleborine (fairly common), yellow lady's slipper (occasional), purple-fringed orchis
Pyrola
Basal roundish leaves and flowers with droop
Example: shinleaf (occasional)
St Johns wort
Examples: St Johns wort (common), marsh St Johns wort (somewhat common)
Saxifrage
Example: foamflower (common)
Tomato - Can be vines...
Examples: Bittersweet nightshade (common)
Touch-me-not
Example: Jewelweed (common)
Wintergreen
Example: Indian pipe (uncommon)
Wood-sorrel
Example: yellow wood-sorrel (common)
II - A CLASSIFICATION OF SHRUBS BY LEAF
Identification of shrubs can be difficult. The following is a list of similar-looking leaves in the most difficult group: toothed leaves, alternately arranged, excluding small leaved species (blueberry-size) and excluding unusual leaves.
It will be necessary to learn the similar leaves of trees in the area, of which there are only about 6 or 7, because it is not possible to differentiate a shrub from a sapling tree. Page numbers refer to Shrubs of Ontario by James Soper.
Alder-leaved buckthorn p306 - 5-6 vein pairs; veins curve up toward tip; somewhat shiny; rounded teeth
Bittersweet p287 - abrupt long taper at leaf tip; vine or spreading shrub
Black cherry p211 - leaf tips have sudden long taper; dark green and shiny; bruised leaves smell of almonds
Broad-leaved meadowsweet - little special about leaves
Chokeberry p168 - leaves typically obovate with sudden acuminate tip; red glands on underside vein and on tips of leaf teeth; double-toothed; dark green
Chokecherry p211 - leaf widest at or above middle; acuminate tip; upper surface dark green and glossy; lower surface midvein has whitish hairs turning orange; bruised twigs and bark smells of almond
Common buckthorn p309 - only three pairs of curving veins; obtuse with acuminate tip
(Glossy buckthorn p311 - should not be in this group: no teeth; wavy leaf edge; glossy)
Green alder - upper surface dark green, lower surface shiny green; seems to have the leathery texture of speckled alder
Narrow-leaved meadowsweet - sharply serrate teeth, short petiole, dense foliage
New Jersey tea p302 - strongly three-veined
Pin cherry - longer narrower leaves than the rest here
Sand cherry p208 - paddle-shape with long taper to petiole; appears to be sparsely toothed
Serviceberries - finely toothed, leaves smaller than the others here, can be soft downy on underside
Winterberry p283 - about 7 pairs of veins; seems to have a rather reticulated texture
Dark green upper surface
Chokecherry
Black cherry
Chokeberry
Green alder
Shiny upper surface
Alder-leaved buckthorn (somewhat shiny)
Glossy buckthorn
Chokecherry
Black cherry
Few veins
New Jersey tea - 3
Common buckthorn - 3
Alder-leaved buckthorn 6-7
Winterberry - about 7
Long tapering leaf tip
Bittersweet
Black cherry
Sudden acuminate leaf tip
Chokeberry
Common buckthorn
Almond smell when bruised
Chokecherry
Black cherry
I - CLASSIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF WILDFLOWERS
II - A CLASSIFICATION OF SHRUBS
I - CLASSIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF WILDFLOWERS
How this page is organized
A rough key - use this section to tentatively identify the plant's family by its leaves, stems and flowers.
Families - use this section to verify the plant's family. If successful, there are then a limited number of possible species for the plant you are trying to identify and they are listed. Look them up in the wildflowers section of this website or another website or in a guide such as Peterson's Wildflowers.
Families with only one or two species in our area - there is no need to learn the characteristics of these families so they have been placed in this separate section. These families have only one or two species in our area so is best to just learn these species on sight.
A ROUGH KEY TO FAMILIES
By flowers, leaves, stems
By flower
Four petals
Mustard
Evening primrose
Bedstraw
Three or six petals
Lily
Amaryllidaciae (daffodils)
Numerous flowers in a head
Composite
Notched petals
Pink
Characteristic flowers
Snapdragon
Mint
Milkweed
Violet
Pea (clover)
Orchid
Bushy centers
Buttercup
Rose
St Johns wort
Umbels of flowers
Carrot
By leaves
Opposite-leaved
Mint
Pink
St John's wort
Milkweed
Dogbane
Nettle
Dogwood
Pinnately compound leaves
Pea
Dissected leaves
Carrot (parsley, umbellifera)
Buttercup
Leaves with parallel curved veins
Dogwood
Lily
Basal leaves mainly/only
Lily
Pyrola
Plantain
Clover leaves
Pea
Wood-sorrel
By stems
Square stems
Mint
A few snapdragons
Low/reclining
Heath
Bedstraw
Climbing
Pea
Cashew
FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS WITH EXAMPLES
(Not every plant in each family will show all the characteristics described)
Families with several species in our area
Bedstraw - very common
Small, spindly with whorled leaves
Examples: Wild madder, fragrant bedstraw
Buttercup - common
Usually 5 petals, bushy centers, leaves often finely cut
Examples: Tall buttercup, hooked buttercup, wood anemone, red baneberry, white baneberry, kidneyleaf buttercup, tall meadowrue, round-leaved hepatica, goldthread
Carrot (parsley, umbellifera) - common
Finely cut leaves, multi-flowers in umbels
Examples: Queen Anne's lace
Composite - very common
Multi-flowers
Can be divided into convenient groups
Examples:
Dandelion, coltsfoot, orange hawkweed, smoothish hawkweed, yellow hawkweed, hairy lettuce, chicory, sow thistle
Goldenrod: Canada goldenrod, blue-stemmed goldenrod, rough-stemmed goldenrod, gray goldenrod, grass-leaved goldenrod, tall goldenrod
Aster: New England aster, flat-topped white aster, heart-leaved aster, large-leaved aster, panicled aster, purple-stemmed aster, whorled aster
Thistle: Canada thistle, bull thistle
Miscellaneous: wormwood, beggar-ticks, chicory, daisy fleabane, Philadelphia fleabane, mugwort, ox-eye daisy, pearly everlasting, pineapple weed, ragweed, yarrow, spotted Joe-pyeweed, rattlesnake root, burdock
Evening primrose - fairly common
Few species; 4 petals, cross-shaped style
Examples: common evening primrose, enchanter's nightshade, smaller enchanter's nightshade, fireweed, willow-herb
Heath - very common
Low creeping plants or bushes, woody, flowers often bell-like and fruit a berry
Examples: blueberry, pipsissewa, wintergreen
Knotweed - very common
Inconspicuous flowers, jointed stems
Examples: false climbing buckwheat, lady's thumb, water smartweed, curled dock, broad dock, prostrate knotweed, arrow-leaved tearthumb, sheep sorrel
Lily - common
Leaves often thick, basal, parallel-veined and petals in threes.
Examples: bluebead lily, Canada mayflower, trilliums, dogtooth violet
Mint - very common
Stems square, flowers characterstic skullcap or snapdragon appearance, leaves opposite and toothed
Examples: wild mint, water horehound, bugle, bugleweed, catnip, ground ivy, heal-all, mad dog skullcap, marsh skullcap, hemp-nettle, motherwort
Morning_glory - less common
Showy, five petals in trumpet shape
Examples: bindweeds
Mustard - very common
Four petals, pod formation
Examples: dame's rocket, garlic mustard, wormseed mustard, Pennsylvania bittercress, winter cress and many other mustards
Nettle - somewhat common
Opposite toothed leaves, flowers in axils, stinging hairs
Examples: stinging nettle, false stinging nettle, wood nettle
Pea - very common
Characteristic flower with keel and banner, leaves pinnately divided or clover-like, often climbing
Everlasting pea, white and red clover, white and yellow sweet clover, black medick, hop clover, least hop clover, hog peanut, tufted vetch, pointed-leaved tick trefoil, birdsfoot trefoil
Pink - fairly common
Petals with notch, opposite leaves
Examples: chickweed, bladder campion, mouse-eared chickweed, lesser stitchwort, bouncing bet
Plantain - common
Examples: common plantain, pale plantain, common speedwell
Poppy - uncommon
Examples: celandine, pale corydalis
Primrose - somewhat common
Petals fused, stamens are opposite the petals, leaves may be wrinkled
Examples: Fringed loosestrife, whorled loosestrife, moneywort, starflower
Rose - very common
A big family. Sometimes thorns. Fairly bushy centers, five petals, alternate often toothed, often compound leaves.
Examples: Can be divided into groups:
Cinquefoil: rough-fruited cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil, rough cinquefoil, agrimony
Bramble: raspberry, blackberry, purple-flowering raspberry
Avens: white avens, yellow avens
Strawberry: strawberry, wood strawberry
Miscellaneous: dewdrop, tall meadowsweet
Violet - very common
Characteristic flower with a lip, beard; leaves often heart-shaped, often purple sometimes white
Example: wild violet, smooth yellow violet
Families with only one or two species in our area. Frequency is shown for our area (my experience)
There is no need to learn family characteristics for this group. One can just learn the plants' species names themselves.
Bellflower
Example: Bellflower (common)
Bluebell
Example: cardinal flower (fairly common)
Cashew
Example: poison ivy (common)
Dogbane
Opposite toothless leaves, bell-like small flowers
Examples: spreading dogbane (somewhat common), periwinkle (somewhat common)
Dogwood
Characteristic parallel curved vein leaves, woody
Examples: bunchberry (common)
Forget-me-not
Example: forget-me-not (very common), Virginia waterleaf (uncommon)
Ginseng
Example: Sarsaparilla (very common)
Iris
Example: Blue flag (somewhat common)
Loosestrife
6 petals
Examples: purple loosestrife (common), winged loosestrife (the only two loosestrifes in this area belonging to the loosestrife family; others belong to primrose family)
Mallow
Examples: Musk mallow
Milkweed - common
Opposite big leaves, characteristic multi-flower like claws
Examples: milkweed (common), swamp milkweed (somewhat common)
Orchid
Examples: Helleborine (fairly common), yellow lady's slipper (occasional), purple-fringed orchis
Pyrola
Basal roundish leaves and flowers with droop
Example: shinleaf (occasional)
St Johns wort
Examples: St Johns wort (common), marsh St Johns wort (somewhat common)
Saxifrage
Example: foamflower (common)
Tomato - Can be vines...
Examples: Bittersweet nightshade (common)
Touch-me-not
Example: Jewelweed (common)
Wintergreen
Example: Indian pipe (uncommon)
Wood-sorrel
Example: yellow wood-sorrel (common)
II - A CLASSIFICATION OF SHRUBS BY LEAF
Identification of shrubs can be difficult. The following is a list of similar-looking leaves in the most difficult group: toothed leaves, alternately arranged, excluding small leaved species (blueberry-size) and excluding unusual leaves.
It will be necessary to learn the similar leaves of trees in the area, of which there are only about 6 or 7, because it is not possible to differentiate a shrub from a sapling tree. Page numbers refer to Shrubs of Ontario by James Soper.
Alder-leaved buckthorn p306 - 5-6 vein pairs; veins curve up toward tip; somewhat shiny; rounded teeth
Bittersweet p287 - abrupt long taper at leaf tip; vine or spreading shrub
Black cherry p211 - leaf tips have sudden long taper; dark green and shiny; bruised leaves smell of almonds
Broad-leaved meadowsweet - little special about leaves
Chokeberry p168 - leaves typically obovate with sudden acuminate tip; red glands on underside vein and on tips of leaf teeth; double-toothed; dark green
Chokecherry p211 - leaf widest at or above middle; acuminate tip; upper surface dark green and glossy; lower surface midvein has whitish hairs turning orange; bruised twigs and bark smells of almond
Common buckthorn p309 - only three pairs of curving veins; obtuse with acuminate tip
(Glossy buckthorn p311 - should not be in this group: no teeth; wavy leaf edge; glossy)
Green alder - upper surface dark green, lower surface shiny green; seems to have the leathery texture of speckled alder
Narrow-leaved meadowsweet - sharply serrate teeth, short petiole, dense foliage
New Jersey tea p302 - strongly three-veined
Pin cherry - longer narrower leaves than the rest here
Sand cherry p208 - paddle-shape with long taper to petiole; appears to be sparsely toothed
Serviceberries - finely toothed, leaves smaller than the others here, can be soft downy on underside
Winterberry p283 - about 7 pairs of veins; seems to have a rather reticulated texture
Dark green upper surface
Chokecherry
Black cherry
Chokeberry
Green alder
Shiny upper surface
Alder-leaved buckthorn (somewhat shiny)
Glossy buckthorn
Chokecherry
Black cherry
Few veins
New Jersey tea - 3
Common buckthorn - 3
Alder-leaved buckthorn 6-7
Winterberry - about 7
Long tapering leaf tip
Bittersweet
Black cherry
Sudden acuminate leaf tip
Chokeberry
Common buckthorn
Almond smell when bruised
Chokecherry
Black cherry