Angiosperms – The Scientific name for the flowering plants. These plants produce covered seeds that develop inside the ovary of a flower.

Gymnosperms – Nonflowering green plants that produce uncovered seeds like those that form in the scales of pine cones.

Botantists have classified plants based on the structure of their flowers and their fruits.

Composite Family – Largest family of flowering plants. Used as medicines, ornamental flowers, and food.

Many small flowers grouped together into a head.

Disk Flowers – Form the flower head’s center, around are a number of showy, petal like ray flowers.

Be able to identify these composites: AsterDaisies Black-Eyed Susan SunflowerGoldenrodRagweed Bull Thistle Dandelion

Aster – Usually purple ray flowers with yellowish disk flowers

Daisies – Yellow disk flowers and white ray flowers.

Asters have several flower heads on their stems, a daisy only has one.

Black-eyed Susan– yellow ray flowers and dark brown, or purplish disk flowers.

Sunflower – yellow ray flowers and yellow to dark brown or purplish disk flowers. Can grow to over a foot across its head.

Goldenrod – yellow ray and disk flowers, which grow in dense clusters along the flower stems.

Ragweed – A plant whose pollen causes allergic reaction in many people and gets confused with goldenrod.

Goldenrod leaves are long and smooth edged while ragweed leaves are deeply lobed and ragged. GoldenrodRagweed GoldenrodRagweed

Bull Thistle - Has only disk flower heads composed of slender, purple disk flowers.

Dandelion – has only yellow ray flowers and no disk flowers.

Pea Family – Second largest plant family Produce fruit in a pod that splits along two sides. Used as ornamental plants and as food

Members are called legumes. Legumes help restore Nitrogen to the soil in the Nitrogen cycle.

Be able to identify these members of the pea family: Scotch Broom Lupine

Scotch broom – Found in many areas of Washington

Lupine – Commonly found in the forests of Washington.

Rose Family – A plant with 5 white, pink, or rose colored petals forming a cup-shaped blossom. Woody stems and fleshy fruits. Lots of good food 2,500 members

Be able to identify these members of the Rose Family: Wild Rose Apple

Wild Rose – Flower parts in multiples of 5

Apple – What we are famous for!

Buttercup Family – A plant with 5 rounded petals forming a cup-shaped blossom. Most have non-woody stems and dry fruits.

Leaves divided into 3 main sections that give them an appearance similar to a bird’s foot. Because of this they are also known as the Crowfoot family.

Be able to identify these members of the Buttercup Family: Common Buttercup

Common Buttercup – grows from 1 to 4 feet tall and is found in fields, woods, or along roads.

Mint Family – Plants which usually have a pleasant odor and have square and stout stems. Flower clusters frequently form spikes. Used as herbs and in food.

Be able to identify these members of the Mint Family: Peppermint Stinging Nettle

Peppermint – square stem and stout and spiky flower clusters attached directly to the stem.

Stinging Nettle – A common plant in our forests that will give you a lot of pain if you touch it.

Honeysuckle Family – sweet nectar on the stigma. Trumpet shaped flowers.

Be able to identify these members of the Honeysuckle Family: Trumpet Honeysuckle

Trumpet Honeysuckle – Trumpet shaped flowers.

Parsley Family – Clusters of small flowers arranged in umbels, which is an arrangement of flowers in which stems of nearly equal length emerge from a common point on the main stem. Used for food, medicine

Be able to identify these members of the Parsley Family: Parsley Water Hemlock Queen Anne’s Lace

Parsley – On many dinner plates!

Water Hemlock – Don’t mess with this one!

Queen Anne’s Lace – A large cluster of over 2,000 individual white flowers.

Milkweed Family – Each flower has 5 nectar horns, consisting of a hood and crest. Food for caterpillars, including the Monarch Butterfly.

Be able to identify these members of the Parsley Family: Milkweed

Milkweed – leaks a milky sap and in the autumn large seed pods replace the flower clusters. The pods split open along one side and release seeds with strands of silky floss attached.