A slideshow for Master Gardeners about botany.

1. An
Introduction to
Botany for
Master
Gardeners
Presented by Jeff McMillian

2. Gardening = Science + Art
 Horticulture is the science & art of gardening
 Botany is the study of plants
 Botany includes ecology but maybe more
importantly the plant’s taxonomy
 Taxonomy studies the plant’s physical
differences across species
 Generally the arrangement of the floral
structure provide the determining features

3. What is Botany?
• Study of plants, including their:
• Classification - Taxonomy
• Physiology
• Structure
• Genetics
• Ecology
• Distribution
• And Economic Importance.

4. What is Horticulture?
Horticulture is the Art & Science (or
practice) of growing plants using intensive
rather than extensive inputs
“Primarily, horticulture is an art, but it is
intimately connected with science at
every point.” Liberty Hyde Bailey – The
Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
1928

5. Plant Classification
 Numerous methods for identifying or
grouping plants for communication
 There are numerous systems of
classification
 Which ones can you think of?

6.  Annual
 Biennial
 Perennial
Life cycle

7. Life Span or Persistence
Typical min-max expected in years
Annuals
Biennials
Perennials
1 2 3 5 50
Time
(Years)
Time
(yrs)
With annuals, biennials, and other short-lived plants it is generally a good rule of thumb
to buy the younger, most vigorous, and healthy plants at the nursery. Often this means
that they will not yet be flowering or fruiting. Better yet, grow them yourself from seed to
help ensure that you get the most out of your garden plants.
+
+
10 25

8. Additional Classifications
 Evergreen, deciduous
 Woody, herbaceous
 Trees, shrubs, vines
 Foliage Arrangement - Opposite, alternate,
whorled, etc…
 Fruit and seed types
 Ecology - FAC, FACU, FACW, OBL, UPL
We’ll get to more morphology in a minute!

9. FAC What???
 FAC = Facultative = equal chance upland / wetland
 FACU = Facultative Upland = 67-99% Upland
 UPL = Obligate Upland = >99% Uplands
 OBL = Obligate Wetland = >99% Wetlands
 FACW= Facultative Wetland = 67-99% Wetlands

10. Environmental Classifications
 Xerophyte, halophyte,
hydrophyte
 Hardy, tender, tropical
 Temperate, tropical, subtropical
 Warm season, cool season
 Long-day flowering, Short-day
flowering, Non-daylength specific
When do you plant cool season annuals
and crops in Beauregard Parish?

11. Usage
 Fruit, vegetable, ornamental
What is the difference between a fruit and
a vegetable?

12. Euler Diagram

13. Common Names: Example Rose
Hibiscus or China Rose
Moss Rose
Rose
Lenten Rose
Rose of Montana Rose of Sharon

14. The Trouble with Common Names
 “Lady of the Night” could refer to
Brunfelsia jamaicensis, B. americana, B.
nitida, or B. gigantea, as well as Cestrum
nocturnum, and Epiphyllum oxypetalum
 “Angel’s Trumpet” could refer to
Datura (hardy to zone 9B maybe, the most
desirable ones tend to be annuals, some
are weeds) or Brugmansia (hardy to
sometimes even zone 7, often highly
fragrant especially in the evening)
 Spathyphyllum could be
Spathyphyllum, Closet Plant, Peace
Lily, Spath, White Anthurium, Snow
Flower, White Sails, and Cobra
Plant and this applies to practically
all species in the genus.

15. Scientific Nomenclature
 Kingdom
 Animalia
 Others
 Plantae
 Division (several, those with horticultural interest -)
Pterodophyta - ferns
 Spermatophyta – seed bearing plants
 Class
 Gymnospermae – naked seeds
 Angiospermae –flowering plants
 Subclass
 Monocotyledonae (monocots) - 49,000 types
 Dicotyledonae (dicots) - 237,000 types
And this is only half of it . . . .

16. Diversity of Green Plants - Wikipedia
Diversity of living green plant (Viridiplantae) divisions
Informal group Division name Common name No. of living species
Approximate No.
in informal group
Green algae Chlorophyta
green
algae (chlorophytes)
3,800–4,300 [22][23] 8,500(6,600–
10,300)
Charophyta
green
algae (e.g. desmids
& stoneworts)
2,800–6,000 [24][25]
Bryophytes Marchantiophyta liverworts 6,000–8,000 [26] 19,000(18,100–
20,200)
Anthocerotophyta hornworts 100–200 [27]
Bryophyta mosses 12,000 [28]
Pteridophytes Lycopodiophyta club mosses 1,200 [17] 12,000(12,200)
Pteridophyta
ferns, whisk ferns &
horsetails
11,000 [17]
Seed plants Cycadophyta cycads 160 [29] 260,000(259,511)
Ginkgophyta ginkgo 1 [30]
Pinophyta conifers 630 [17]
Gnetophyta gnetophytes 70 [17]
Magnoliophyta flowering plants 258,650 [31]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant

17. Plants without seeds

18. Seed Plants with Naked Fruit?
Cycads and
Conifers
produce separate
male & female
cones =
dioecious
gymnosperms

19. Sago Palm
Cycas revoluta
Flowering structures

20. Cotyledons = 1 -OR- 2
Flower Parts = 3’s -OR- 4’s or 5’s
Corn and
Iris
like?
-OR-
Bean and
Petunia
like?

21. Once more - is it a
Monocot or Dicot ?
 Number of cotyledons in
seed
 Venation pattern
 Number of flower parts
 Arrangement of vascular
bundles
Do I need to know all this stuff?

22. Binomial Nomenclature
 Developed by
Linnaeus (Carl von Linne)
 Father of Taxonomy
 The ‘L. ‘ after many
proper scientific
names
 Not the first
 Bauhin brothers
 200 years earlier
 First to use it and
led to wider usage

23. Divides the Plant Kingdom into groups
that are less and less inclusive
USDA Plants database: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CEOC2

24. Simplifying Scientific Nomenclature
Magnoliaphyta
Angiospermae
Flowering Plants
Malvaceae
Hibiscus Family
PlantaeKingdom
Division
Family
Genus
species
Hibiscus
rosa-sinensis

25. Big Boy Tomato
Lycopersicon esculentum L. ‘Big Boy’
Order Solanales
Family Solanaceae
Genus Lycopersicon
species esculentum
Naming authority L. [ for Linnaeus]
Cultivar Big Boy
Scientific names may tell you
something about the plant.

26. Examples
Liatris acidota
Liatris pycnostachya var. lasiocarpa
Cultivars
Lonicera sempervirens var. sulphureus
Lonicera sempervirens ‘Cedar Lane’
Rosa laevigata
Rosa x ‘Belinda’s Dream’

27. More on Nomenclature
 Most commonly used system
of nomenclature
 System is not static
 As you move down though the
sections, plants are more and
more closely related
 Based on flower and plant
morphology

28. Family
 Based on the reproductive structures of
the organism
 Arrangement & number of various structures
 Ovary – superior or inferior
 # of anthers, sepals, petals, tepals, ovaries, etc…
 Ends in ‘aceae’
 Pronounced “ay-see-ee”
 Asteraceae – sunflower family, Composite family
 Sunflowers, Asters, Thistles, Dandelions
 Lamiaceae – Mint family – Basil, Mints, Oregano
 Rubiaceae – Coffee or Madder family – Gardenia,
Pentas, Chickweed, Buttonbush

29. It’s all in the Family
 Being able to identify an unknown
plant to its family is a valuable skill
 Look at botanical characteristics and
see if it reminds you of another plant
 Look at references under the name of
the family to speed up your search

30. Common Plant Families
 Asteraceae
 Fabaceae
 Poaceae
 Liliaceae
 Rosaceae
 Asclepiadaceae
 Apocynaceae
 Scrophulariaceae
 Fagaceae
 Iridaceae
 Magnoliaceae
The rose is a rose
and was always a rose;
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only knows
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose,
but were always a rose.
- Robert Frost, "The Rose
Family”

31. Vegetable Plant Families
 Solanaceae
 Brassicaceae
 Cucurbitaceae
 Fabaceae
 Poaceae
 Apiaceae
 Malvaceae

32. Lily Family - Liliaceae
 Worldwide. Edibles &
ornamentals. Diverse, often
further divided.
 Herbaceous, 3-part flowers
which are distinctive and
known to most. Many have
bulbs, corms, or swollen
rhizomes. Leaves are simple,
often basal, and have parallel
venation. Flowers are regular
and may be large and showy,
or small and inconspicuous,
but always have that 'lily' look
with 3 sepals (which may be
petaloid), 3 petals, and 6
stamens.
From: http://www.geobotany.uaf.edu/teaching/plant_family_pdf/PlantFamilies.pdf

33. Genus or Genera
 The first part of the binomial name
Lilium michauxii
 The smallest grouping within the
family
 Often shares many of the traits with
other members of it’s family
 Places most closely related plants
together

34. Species or Specific Epithet
 Generally a distinct entity within the
Genus
Lilium michauxii
 Reproducing from seed with minimal
variation
 May share many features of other plants
within the Genus
 Generally do not naturally cross due to:
 Geographic location, Flowering times, Pollen
acceptance

36. Below the Species
Horticulture = ternary or 3-part name
subspecies (subspecies) – subsp.
varietas (variety) - var.
subvarietas (subvariety) - subvar.
forma (form) - f.
subforma (subforma) – subf.
 ‘Cultivar’
Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis ‘Storm Cloud’

37. Cultivar = CULTIvated VARiety
“Assemblage of cultivated plants which is
clearly distinguished by any characters
and which, when reproduced (sexually or
asexually) retains its distinguishing
characters.”
- Liberty Hyde Bailey
*Botanical varieties naturally
breed true from seed
*Cultivars are asexually cloned or
through controlled sexual
crossing of breeding lines

38. The Beauty of Botanical Nomenclature
 Often descriptive
 Calli = beautiful
 stemon = stamens
 citrinus = lemon scented foliage
 Mono = one
 tropa = turn
 uni = one
 flora = flower
 pulchella, pulchellus = pretty
 aurea = orange
 lutea = yellow
 caerulea = blue
 coccinea, eryth = red
 mutabilis = change or mutate + ability
 oides = like
Monotropa uniflora
Indian Pipes, Ghost
Plant, Corpse Plant
One turn and
one flower
Bottlebrush
Callistemon citrinus
Monotropa uniflora

39. What makes a plant a plant
and not an animal?
 Cell walls
 Ability to make own food
 Special kinds of anatomical (plant) parts
Chloroplasts
Vacuole
Cell Wall
Size – plant cells
are larger

40. Gross Anatomy
Major Plant organs include:
roots
stems
leaves
reproductive organs:
flowers or cones
fruits and seeds

41. This Bud’s for You!
New growth comes from a bud or
meristem.
 Apical meristem
 Lateral meristem
 Crown bud
 Root tip

42. Roots
 Functions
 anchoring
 absorption of water &
nutrients
 conductance
 storage

43. Roots
 Morphology
 primary root/secondary roots
 tap root/fibrous roots
 adventitious roots
 root hairs

44. Pneumatophores
Rhizomes-
subterranean stem
Tubers and Corms
are modified stems or roots
Stolons are above
ground
Roots can be Specialized

47. Which one is
Poison Ivy?

48.  Functions
 Conductance
 Support
 Photosynthesis
 Gas exchange
 Lenticels
 Morphology
 Nodes/internodes
 Leaf/bud scars
 Pith
 Bark
 Modifications
 Tendril
 Thorns, Prickles
Stem

49. Leaf Functions
 Photosynthesis
 Gas exchange
 Storage
Stomata

50. C3, C4, & CAM
Photosynthesis
C3 < 86oF – most
plants
C4 > 86oF – Corn,
grasses, Euphorbs
CAM – stomata open at
night when transpiration is
lowest – Cacti, Agave, some
Orchids and some Bromeliads –
Spanish Moss

51. Leaf Morphology
http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/dox/leaf.html

52. Stem Attachment
Petiolate
Petiole
Sessile Clasping

53. Leaf Shapes are Simple
reniform bilobed

54. Entire
Serrate
Dentate
Crenate
Undulate
Sinuate
Incised

55. Lobed
Cleft
Deeply
Lobed
Sinus

56. Leaf Venation

57. Leaf Division How many
leaves are
on this
slide?

58. Cladodes
EpiphyllumOpuntia

59. Stipules

64. Hitler Rants on Taxonomists

65. Palms are different!
ONE growth bud
Most Palm roots DO
NOT branch if cut

66. Flowers
 Function
 Control pollination
 Develop into fruit and
seed
 Morphology
 Most of the
classification of plants
is based on floral
morphology

67. Flower Morphology
 Forms
 Actinomorphic – radially
symmetrical
 Zygomorphic – bilaterally
symmetrical
 Ovaries
 Superior ovary – flower
parts are above the ovary
 Inferior ovary – flower
parts are beneath the
ovary

68. Ovary Position
Superior InferiorSuperior
Rosaceae

69. Flower morphology
 petals - corolla
 sepals - calyx
 receptacle -
thalamus
 pistil
 ovary/ovules
 style
 stigma
 stamen
 filament
 anther
 pollen

70. Receptacle -
thalamus

71. Receptacle -
thalamus
Pollen Grains

72. More-phology
Perfect Imperfect
Can be pistillate or
staminate
Monoecious Dioecious

73. Apomixis = without
fertilization
 Agamaspermy - self cloning via seed
 Citrus species possibly > 90% true from
seed
 Vegetative Apomixis – bulbils or
vegetative propagules (Kalanchoe or
Mother of Thousands)
 Apospory & Apogamy – Mosses, ferns,
lycopods

74. Fruits and Seeds
 Function
 Seed dispersal
 Seed protection
 Seed contain DNA &
structures to create
new plant
 Morphology
 Ovary development
 Cotyledons/endosperm
Embryo

75. Seed Parts

76. General Fruit
Classifications
Dry fruits
Dehiscent
Indehiscent
Fleshy fruits

77. Common Fruit Types
 Pome
 Drupe
 Compound fruit
 Berry
 False berry
 Inferior ovary
 Achene
 Samara
 Cypsela – Asteraceae
 Not true achene
 Pod
 Follicle
 Capsule
 Nut

78. And what kind is this?

79. Plant Keys
 divide the plants into groups that
are less and less inclusive
 Each question is True or False
 Start at the top if need be
 Keys to plant families
 http://michiganflora.net/family-key.aspx

81. Shortleaf Pine Slash Pine
Spruce Pine
Longleaf Pine Loblolly Pine
Distribution

82. Key to LA Native Pines
1. Bark variously brown colored, rough, not
noticeably gray ……………………………..2.
1.Bark gray smooth, often oak like, needles
twisted, 2 per fascicle, cones 2-6” long and
remain on tree 3+ years………...Pinus glabra
2. Cones 6” or less, most smaller stems less
than ¾” in diameter, needles straight…....3.
2. Cones sessile, 6” or longer, not chocolate
brown or glossy, 8-18” long needles with 3 per
fascicle, some drooping, most stems greater
than ¾” diameter......................…P. palustris

83. Pinus elliotii
Slash Pine
Pinus
taeda
Loblolly
Pine

84. Pinus
palustris
Longleaf
Pine
Pinus
elliotii
Slash Pine

85. Pinus
palustris
Longleaf
Pine
Pinus
elliotii
Slash Pine

86. Pinus
elliotii
Slash Pine
Pinus
palustris
Longleaf
Pine

87. 3. Cones stalked, chocolate brown, glossy,
less spiny than some………...Pinus elliottii
3. Cones sessile, reddish brown, not glossy,
spiny………………………………….……..4.
4. Cones usually remain on tree for 2-3
years, 2-1/2” long, usually 2 needles per
fascicle, often yellow green coloration
…............................................…P. echinata
4. Cones mostly longer than 2-1/2” long,
detaching from tree annually, dark green
needles, usually 3 but sometimes 2 per
fascicle, ………………………...P taeda

88. Loblolly
Pine
Pinus taeda
Shortleaf
Pine
Pinus
echinata

89. Loblolly Pine
Pinus taeda

90. Shortleaf
Pine
Pinus
echinata

91. Pinus
echinata
Shortleaf
Pine
Pinus
taeda
Loblolly
Pine

92. Pinus
echinata
Shortleaf
Pine
Pinus
taeda
Loblolly
Pine

93. Key Online Resources
 Image searches may get you close
 efloras.org
 Flora of North America
 Not yet complete but is still very extensive
 Illustrated Flora of East Texas
 http://www.brit.org/brit-press/easttexasflora/online
 Monocots is complete + Keys to Plant Families
 Various interactive online Keys
 LSU Herbarium – Visual Keys -
http://www.herbarium.lsu.edu/keys/
 Societies – Camellias, Azaleas, Asclepiads, Plumerias, Brugmansias,
Daylilies, African Violets, Daffodils, Ferns, Roses, Bromeliads, Cactus,
Gourds, Hollies, Herbs, Magnolias, Cycads, etc…
 American Horticulture Society has a list of societies by type!
 http://www.ahs.org

94. Blazing Star, Gayfeather, Liatris
Liatris spicata, L. pycnostachya, L.
elegans, L. acidota, L. squarrosa, L.
aspera, L. squarrulosa

95. Plants & Their
Environment
Factors that Influence Plant
Growth

96. Plants and energy (simplified)
 Photosynthesis
 The process of turning light energy
into energy that can be transported
and stored by the plant
Why not just
use the energy
directly?

97. Eeek! Chemistry!
 6 CO2 + 12 H2O
+ light +
chlorophyll =
C6H12O6 + 6 H2O
+ 6 O2
What does this mean to you?

98. Eeek! Chemistry!
 6 CO2 + 12 H2O + light +
chlorophyll = C6H12O6 +
6 H2O + 6 O2
 C6H12O6 = carbohydrates
 Sugars can be transported
 Starches can be stored

99. More energy stuff
 Respiration
 Breaking the carbohydrates into
a form of energy the plant can
use
Although we think of
respiration in humans as
breathing, breathing is
really the gas exchange
that supports respiration.

100. And more chemistry
 C6H12O6 + 6 H2O + 6 O2 + mitochondria
= 6 CO2 + 12 H2O + energy in a
useable form
 Does anything about this formula look
familiar?

101. What’s all this used for, anyway?
 Plant growth and
development
 Cell division
 Cell elongation
 Where does
growth occur?
 Meristem Lateral Bud
Leaf
Apical
Meristem

102. Plants and the
Environment
 Light
 Water
 Nutrients
 Temperature
 Air

103. Light
 Color
 Why don’t plants
grow well in
green light?
 Intensity
 Shade or full sun
 Duration
 Total in a day
 Photoperiod and
flowering

104. Water
 90% of the plant is
water
 Water is a carrier
for nutrients
 Water is essential
in chemical
reactions – like?

105. Nutrients – Required for Growth
 Environmental
elements
C, H, O
 Macro
N, P, K, S,
Mg, Ca
 Micro
Mn, Mo, Zn,
Bo, Fe, Cu, Cl

106. Soil pH affects Nutrient Uptake

107. pH affects Nutrient Uptake
5.2
5.3

109. USDA Cold Hardiness Zone Map

110. Temperature
8A
(10-15oF)
9A
(20-25oF)
8B
(15-20oF)
9B
(25-30oF)

111. AHS Plant Heat-Zone Map
Very similar to the following map
and makes the same point

112. Annual Average# of Days above 90oF
Louisiana = 60-120
West Coast
≈ 0 - 30
JC Raulston
National Botanic Gardens
Longwood Gardens
NY Botanic Gardens
N East Coast
≈ 15 - 45
Missouri Botanic Garden

113. Annual Average# of Days above 90oF
Louisiana = 60-120
West Coast
≈ 0 - 30
Missouri Botanic Gardens
N East Coast
≈ 15 - 45
Denver Botanic Gardens
SFA Gardens Mast Arboretum
LSU’s Hammond Research Station

114. Additional Local Gardens with
Similar Climates
 LSU’s Burden Horticulture Center, Baton
Rouge
 Lafayette Master Gardener’s Demo Garden
 Caroline Dorman Nature Preserve (& gardens)
 SFA Gardens, Nacogdoches, TX
 Hodges Gardens State Park, Many
 Shangri La Botanic Gardens, Orange, TX

115. Median First Freezing Temperature Dates
Beauregard: Nov 16 – Nov 30 - ish

116. National Climate Data Center
Median Last Freeze Dates
Mar 1 – Mar 31Median Last Freezing Temperature Dates
March 1 – March 31

117. LA - Mean Daily Average Temperature (oF) = 65-70oF
CA - Mean Daily Average Temperature (oF) = 55-60oF

118. National Climate Data Center
Median Freeze-Free Period in Days 240-270Average 240 – 270 Freeze-Free days per year

119. Mean Total Annual Precipitation
Gulf Coast ≈ 50-70“ annually

120. Chill
Hours
2014 / 2015
Nov = 196
Dec = 130
Jan = 159
Total = 485
2013 / 2014
Nov – 185
Dec – 312
Jan – 141
= 638 thru
1/10/2014
Total = 1348
≈ hours < 45oF – hours > 60oF

121. Beauregard Parish, Louisiana
 50-70” annual rainfall, 5.0-5.5 pH
 240-270 average annual freeze free
days, average RH 66-75%
 60-90 days above 90oF
 65-70oF average daily temperature
 First freeze typically in November with
winter max lows of 15-20oF
 Last freeze typically in March
 ~ 400-600 chill hours

122. Air
 Source of some
nutrients
 Gases for chemical
reactions
 Even some plant
hormones are
gases
 Air circulation affects
growth and therefore
productivity in more than
one way

123. Back to Plant ID:
Who ya gonna call?
 The First line of assistance
is Keith Hawkins.
 Other local experts

124. Who ya gonna call?
 LSU Herbarium – sent
through Extension office and
Keith
 www.herbarium.lsu.edu/
 Interactive Keys
 Browse specimens online
 Distribution Maps
 More

125. Have you gone fruity yet?

126. Additional References
 LSU Ag Center at LSUAgCenter.com
 Flora of North America and eFloras Online
 Efloras.org
 Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Louisiana
by Dr. Charles M. Allen etal.
 USDA Plants Database
 The Biota of North America Project at
BONAP.org – the Soil pH map but much more

127. Acknowledgements:
This presentation was adapted from PowerPoint originally
developed by:
 Dr. Elizabeth Lamb, Cornell University IPM program –
formerly @ UF/IFAS IRREC
Other contributors include:
 Stan Rosenthal, Extension Agent – Forestry, UF/IFAS Leon
County Extension
 Jim Chatfield, Extension Specialist, the Ohio State University
 Paul Baumann, Weed Specialist – TAMU
 Oregon State Univ. Master Gardener Botany page:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/botany/index.html