To identify the local common flora to the extent that our guides and knowledge make possible.
Four teams will spend roughly an hour in the field collecting local flora. When collecting a flowering plant (an angiosperm), collect a single sample that includes both the flower and the leaves. If seeds are present, collect those too. When collecting a seedless vascular plant, collect a frond or a plant along with visible reproductive structures (sori or clubs). Try not to take a whole plant, just collect a few leaves and an attached flower, or collect a single frond with sori. Collect grasses that are blooming. Do not collect bryophytes at this time. The four groups will be referred to as North - South - East - West. Assignment to a group will be by count off.
Bring in a dozen or so plants. Do not collect obviously "owned" plants. Be respectful of property. Avoid the ornamentals on campus and at the stores. Pay attention to the plants collected by your group: remember what plants were collected.
Upon return to the lab, place each collected plant on a sheet of blank paper. The seedless vascular plants will be on one table, the grasses on another, angiosperms will be on the other tables. If your group collected a plant identical to another group's plants, place the plants on the same sheet of paper. On the sheet of paper write down as precisely as possible the location from which the plant was collected.
Use the guides to identify the plants. Be careful with the guides. Be patient, there are only a limited number of guides. Pass them around and share them.
As some people are using the guides, walk around the lab and if you know the local name and spelling for a plant, write that name in the appropriate box.
Write down on a sheet of paper the names of each of the plants collected by your group that have been identified.
Each person will pick one identified specimen to create their virtual herbarium page. This can be done today or on Thursday. If you opt to do this Thursday you will need to collect a fresh specimen of the plant.
Scan the plant in using the scanner. Set the image width to 200 pixels and the JPEG quality to 95%.
Type in the identified Genus species binomial (the name) for the plant. Italicize the binomial name. Finish the web page by adding your own description. Your description must include the following sections:
| Simple flowers | Compound flowers |
| Latin binomial | Latin binomial |
| Chuukese name (if known) | Chuukese name (if known) |
| Kosraen name (if known) | Kosraen name (if known) |
| Pohnpeian name (if known) | Pohnpeian name (if known) |
| Yapese name (if known) | Yapese name (if known) |
| Location collected | Location collected |
| Habit (herb, grass, shrub, tree... whether found terrestrial, epiphytic, or aquatic location, etc.) | Habit (herb, grass, shrub, tree...) |
| Leaf description including stem attachment details and pattern of leaves. | Leaf description including stem attachment details and pattern of leaves. |
| Calyx description | Involucre (the "calyx" of the compound head) |
| Corolla description | Ray flower (edge of disk) |
| Stamen description | Disk flower description |
| Pistil description | Stamen and pistil descriptions if possible |
| Fruit or seed description | Fruit or seed |
If your plant is a seedless vascular plant describe the location collected, habit, leaf arrangement, leaf shape, and sori location and shape for your description. Include the Latin binomial name and local names.
Instructor: Dana Lee Ling