Plant Collecting

Why make a collection?

Making a good plant collection is time-consuming, but a well-made plant collection is of lasting benefit. It represents information that was captured at one point in time and made available for all time. People still study specimens collected in the 1600s. The other benefit to making a collection, and identifying the plants in it, is that doing so will teach you more about plant diversity and the characteristics of different plant families that any number of brilliantly presented lectures. There is something about a plant that one has collected oneself that cannot be duplicated by a specimen made available in laboratory. You will also learn the advantage of making good specimens and field notes. Bear in mind that any good plant specimen kills at least part of a plant. Make sure you have a reason for making the specimen and do so in an appropriate manner.

Where to collect?
Plants may be taken from local woodlands, old fields, roadsides, vacant lots or any unrestricted area within the local area. Many native plants are cultivated and are acceptable, however, ornamental plants such as oleander or boxwood are not acceptable. DO NOT collect in state, national, or community parks. DO NOT trespass on private property.

What to collect?
You are really going on a scavenger hunt. Your collection will have a total of 30 different species and must include at least: the twelve plants included in Appendix D, one bryophyte, one cycad, and three herbaceous wild flowers in flowering condition from three different families. The rest of the collection can be what ever else you can find.

What NOT to collect?

I do not want any horticultural plants. You may not use Ginko in your collection. You may not submit any poisonous plant.

Voucher specimens. A voucher specimen is one that documents what you found or worked with in a
study. Voucher specimens can be examined long after a study has been completed. They enable others to check your identifications and, if there are taxonomic changes affecting the species. An ecological or environmental study that is not documented by specimens is of questionable validity. No one can prove that it is flawed because of misidentifications, but nor can it be proved that your identifications were correct. A good voucher specimen has: All the parts needed for accurate identification. Because you probably do not know what these are, collect as much of the plant as possible. For herbaceous plants, this generally means collect the underground parts and either whole stems or tops and bottoms (leaf shape, size, and arrangement may vary from top to bottom). Look for both flowers and fruits, but make sure that

they are on the same plant or that there is no other species around that might be confused with the one you think you are collecting. For features that cannot be preserved, make notes in your field book. For instance, did the branch come from a tree or shrub? How tall was the plant? What was the flower color in the field? (Flower color may change on drying). For a tall herbaceous plant, how large are the basal leaves? Are they arranged in the same way as the upper leaves? This can be made easier and more complete by using a digital camera as an aid Your field notes should also contain all the information needed for the label: Locality Information. The location where the specimen was collected, preferably with latitude and longitude data. You must provide country, state, parish, and a verbal description of the location. Habitat information. There are two aspects to this, physical and biological. Physical data includes soil type (i.e., clay or sandy) and moisture (for instance, whether the site is always wet, NOT whether it was pouring with rain when you collected the plant). Biological data includes what kind of plant community (open forest, opening in forest, closed forest, grassland, shrubsteppe, disturbed roadside (yes, that overlaps physical; biology frequently requires a judgement call). If you can name the species, great. If you cannot (yet), do not sweat it. Collection Purpose. Whether the collection is being made in connection with some specific project. If you are collecting as part of a funded project, it is a courtesy to include this information on the label. Collector Information. The name of the collectors and the collection number for that specimen. The collection number should be associated with the first person listed on the label. It is rarely a good idea, and frequently a bad idea, to have more than one person give a collection number to a specimen.

Collecting ethics
1. Have a reason for killing or damaging the plant. The validity of a reason varies with the species 2. 3. 4. 5.
and the location. Know what you are collecting before removing the plant. Some species are endangered and collecting them could result in fines and/or incarceration. If you are not sure what you are collecting, ask first or select another specimen. Have permission to collect in the area concerned. Determine whether there are enough plants to justify your action. In general, follow the 1 in 20 rule. Weeds, particularly noxious weeds, can be collected without limit, but minimize the disruption you cause. "Replace your divots". Make a good specimen for your purpose. "Good" means with all parts needed for your purpose and appropriate data.

Good collecting
Make detailed field notes. It is a good idea to make them before digging up the plant of interest, particularly if you are inclined to be impatient. Tag your plants when you collect them. This information must remain with the specimen at all times. If possible, select two or more of each specimen. Press on and place the other in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for later dissection, if necessary. Press your plants while they are fresh Lay them out as you want them to look

Make sure that both the top and the bottom surface of leaves are visible Collect flower and fruit whenever possible; positive identification often requires that both be present. Be sure that your have at least two leaves attached to the twig or branch. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PIECE OF THE STEM YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THE SPECIMENT! Select a representative plant, not the largest or the showiest. For herbaceous plants, be sure that enough of the below-ground plants are available to show whether it had a caudex, tap root, rhizomes, or whatever. Press your plants when they are fresh.

Field notes
Write your notes BEFORE starting to collect. Start with date and who is with you (if anyone). Even if you are collecting with others from the class, each of you must have your own field notes and specimens. Next, describe the location. A topographic map may help. Also, use the trip tick on your car (odometer to the educated). Try to note what your mileage is when you go by landmarks on a collecting trip. Describe the ecological characteristics of the area. Finally, start collecting. Attach a tag to plants (really helps to be sure you know which is which when you are identifying them). Assign consecutive numbers to each plant that you collect and use those numbers in your field notebook. Add notes about an individual plant in your field notebook. My code for collection number is student number, date, followed by a unique number (11.01.99-01, 11.01.99-02 and so on). Things to include: o Whether the plant was a tree or a shrub o How tall the plant was o What color the flower was when picked Train yourself to write neatly and coherently. Another view: Information that identifies which specimen you are talking about, who collected it and when. o Start by giving the plant a number (see numbering system above) o Write the number in the field notebook and on the plant tag Information that describes the plant itself Information that describes the location Information that describes the ecological characteristics of the area (description of the habitat) o Physical o Biological Other plants in the area Plant community ecosystem You will be required to submit a copy of your field notes with your collection. I shall be looking for completeness. DO NOT RECOPY YOUR FIELD NOTES. Field notes are notes taken in the field. Recopied field notes will earn you 0 (zero, zilch) points. In your professional career, your field notes could become a legal document. Think of them that way now.

Pressing the specimens

Well made specimens can be both valuable scientific resources and visually attractive. Make achieving both goals your aim, but recognize that some species will frustrate you. Some specimens will blacken soon after being collected, in others just the flower color changes, possibly from a vibrant red to a dull purple. Most species in our region make good specimens, but rule number 1 is that NO SPECIMEN CAN BE MADE TO LOOK BETTER AFTER IT IS HAS BEEN PRESSED. How do you make good specimens? Press your plants while they are still fresh. Clean off the mud from the roots. Lay the plant in the newsprint as you want it to look when dried. Take advantage of the space available, remembering that there will be a label attached in one corner. Show both sides of leaves and, if possible, expose the inner portions of a flower. Select appropriate material if the plant is too large to fit in the press. For trees and shrubs, portion of a branch with leaves and flowers. If it flowers before leafing out, look and see if there is not some branch that is slightly ahead of the rest. For herbaceous plants, include the flowers and upper leaves and some portion of the underground parts. Remember to add to your field notes observations that you cannot preserve such as the plant height or whether it was a tree or shrub. Bend the stem or branch if it is too long to fit the paper. If you clip off portions of the branch, leave a stub so that people can see that you have done so. If the plants are small, the specimen should contain several individuals (assuming the population is large enough to support collecting several). Do not leave bits hanging out of the press. They will not get pressed and will probably simply be broken off. If your specimen is too big to fit on a single sheet of paper, prune, overlap or fold the specimen during pressing so that it can fit. If this is not possible, cut the specimen in half and mount it on two sheets. You will have to place a label on each sheet and indicate the total number of sheets on each label (eg. Sheet 1 of 2). Specimens look best if dried by having air move over them. The air temperature should be no more than 100F or thereabouts. Placing the press over a heating vent or in direct sunlight is effective. Normally, specimens take 7 14 days to completely dry. It is best if the newspaper in the plant press is replaced daily for the first three days, then every two or three days after. Take special care to check for and prevent molding of the specimens. There are special techniques for pressing seaweeds. Basically, one puts the mounting paper in a pan of water and floats the seaweed onto the paper. Most seaweed will glue itself to the paper and make very attractive specimens. Red algae are particularly beautiful when pressed. Place wax paper or plastic between the seaweed and the newsprint or the seaweed will glue itself to the newsprint.

Arranging the specimens

Be sure all botanical features are showing, including both upper and lower leaf surfaces. Attempt to arrange the specimen in an anatomically correct orientation. Display the side that shows the most botanical features (i.e., flowers, fruit, etc.) Be sure the specimen will fit on the mounting card.

Preparing the label

Your specimen labels must include the following data. Heading. Your heading must be as shown in Appendix A. If you collect your specimen in a different parish your heading must reflect that fact. The location where the specimen was collected. That information must be as detailed as possible. Please try to include latitude and longitude data. Identification of the collection site. What does it look like? Describe and characterize the habitat (i.e., prairie-like meadow with a pond in the middle and a deserted house). Finally, you must include your name, the date and your unique accession number. The first component of that accession number should be your student number (e.g., 11-11.01.99-13 student number-date-specimen number). Use a 3X5 card for the specimen label.

Attaching the label

Place the label in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. Allow at least inch from all sides of the page to permit space for handling and to prevent damage to the label. Use archival clear gum glue (not rubber cement) or spray adhesive. Glue down along the top edge only. Keep the label free from the mounting tape and specimens.

Collection grading.
Making a good collection is time consuming. That is why it is graded as carefully as it is. Each specimen and its label will be examined. The maximum possible number of points per specimen is 10. You start with 10, but lose points as indicated in the following guidelines. You are to submit a total of 30 specimens, including the required specimens from the list provided to you.

Identification
Is it correct? If it is not correct, how bad is the error? If it is close, perhaps a very similar species, the point loss may be as low as 0.5 points. If involved a mistake in a character you should not misinterpret (e.g., position of ovary), the loss might be 3 points. This is a judgment call. You are supposed to have identified the plants in your collection by keying them out (Appendix B) so, if your specimen does not have the parts required for keying, you will get no credit, even if the identification is correct. Your specimen should be complete. Herbaceous plants should show enough of the base and underground parts to indicate its longevity (annual or perennial), root type, etc. For large plants and woody plants, this information may be included on the label. For woody plants, the label should state whether it is a tree or a shrub. Field notes. Include a copy with your specimens. If too perfect (in other words, rewritten or written after the event), the loss will be 10 of the 50 points for the collection. Spelling and typographical errors that have not been corrected (use pen or pencil). Varies from 0.5-2 points, depending on how many and how severe the problems are. NOTE: these errors

mount up if you forget that you may have the same error on many labels because of the ease with which information can be copied from one label to the next. Appendix C has many sources that may help you determine the classification of your specimen.

Appendix A

Create your own copy of this to place in your specimen book.

PLANTS OF ACADIANA Iberia Parish

__________________ __________________ (Scientific name) (Common Name) Location:________________________________ _______________________________________ Collection site,___________________________ _______________________________________ Collected by _____________________________ Date Collected ______ Accession No. _________

Appendix B

Create your own copy of this to include in your specimen collection bag and with the specimen on the plant press.
Specimen labels
Genus sp. epithet Auth._____________________________________________ ___________________________________Family_______________________ County ___________________________________State__________________ Location________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Collector ________________________________________ Coll. # __________ Habitat _________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Growth Form ___________________________ Height ___________________ Flower/ Fruit Color _____________________________ Date ____________________ Citation ________________________________________________________

Appendix C
Online resourses Identification Keys http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Trees http://www.southeasternflora.com/SearchForm.asp http://www.treelink.org/whattree/index.htm http://www.herbarium.lsu.edu/keys/ http://www.herbarium.lsu.edu/checklist.html http://www.rnr.lsu.edu/plantid/webtour/listscientific.htm

Appendix D
Required Specimens Only common names are listed. River Birch Sycamore Hackberry Southern Catalpa Flowering Dogwood Live Oak Southern Magnolia Bald Cypress Black Eyed Susan Southern Maidenhair fern Honeysuckle Cattail

Appendix E
Supplies Required Field book (6X9 steno pad is perfect) Use a small, sturdy notebook that is easily carried Be sure to include your contact details in case it is lost. Use one page per specimen so you have room to add more information later.

Waterproof pen or pencil Zip-lock bags Plastic bags (free from grocery work really well) Paper bags Small tags to attach to the plant specimen Hand lens (recommended) Binoculars (recommended to permit visualization of structures high in trees) Ruler to measure structures Tape measure to measure tree diameter GPS device (optional) for detailed location information Clippers (to cut plants) Digger (to dig plants) Plant press Tags to attach to plant specimen

Appendix F
Sample from field notebook June 14, 2006

LeBlanc Community, Vermilion Parish; Ranch Road mile from intersection with LA Hwy 338. Roadside ditch. Willow Oak didnt have means to determine taxonomy. In full sunlight, single tree in the middle of a pasture with 13 head of cattle. Tree was approx. 40 tall. No flowers or fruit seen on tree but large amount of acorns scattered about on the ground below. SpNo: 20060614-001

Appendix G: Plant collection data form for use in the field

Common name of plant _________________________________________________________

Scientific name of plant _________________________________________________________

Location collected _____________________________________________________________

Growing site _____________________________________________________________

Soil type ______________________________________________________________

Surrounding vegetation _________________________________________________________

Special note ______________________________________________________________

Name of collector_______________________________________________________

System number ______________________ Date _______________________

Plant Structures
An Aid for Identification

Part 1: Flowers

Part 2: Leaves

Part 3: Fruit and Seeds