Identifying Flower Characteristics and Types

Cristin from Ottawa County Parks Nature Center explains how to identify wildflowers by examining flower types, leaf arrangements, and leaf margins. The video covers regular and irregular flowers, basal and stem leaves, and different leaf margins. Real examples like the Trillium and Trout Lily are used to practice identification skills.

What are the three characteristics used to identify wildflowers?

• Type of soil, sunlight, and water

• Height, width, and color

• Color, size, and shape

• Type of flower, arrangement of leaves, and leaf margin

How can you identify a regular flower?

• By its scent

• By its color

• By its symmetrical petals arranged like spokes of a wheel

• By its irregular shape

What is a characteristic of irregular flowers?

• They grow in clusters

• They are always yellow

• They have a lower lip

• They have symmetrical petals

What are basal leaves?

• Leaves growing above the base

• Leaves growing from the base of the plant

• Leaves with lobed margins

• Leaves with toothed margins

How are leaves arranged if they grow in circles around the stem?

• Randomly

• Whorled

• Opposite

• Alternately

What does an entire leaf margin look like?

• It is divided into sections

• It has deep indentations

• It is unbroken

• It has regular shallow indentations

What is a characteristic of toothed leaves?

• They have wavy or scalloped edges

• They are completely smooth

• They are divided into leaflets

• They have a single color

What type of flower is the large flowered Trillium?

• Irregular with five petals

• Regular with four petals

• Regular with three petals

• Irregular with six petals

How many parts does the trout lily flower have?

• Seven

• Four

• Five

• Six

What type of leaf margin does the trout lily have?

• Divided

• Entire

• Lobed

• Toothed