Identifying Plants in Old and New Ways
Carl von Linnaeus, 1707-1778 (credit: public domain)
In 1735, The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus developed a scientific way to identify plants. His "keys" systematically organized physical and morphological characteristics into a method to follow when trying to identify a plant. By ranking features like petals, anthers, leaves, seeds, and bark, Linnaeus placed plants into families, genera, and species based on the similarity of these characteristics. His Systema Naturae initiated plant taxonomy, a basic component of what plant science would become in general. His system unlocked the evolutionary wonders of the plant world. It is still used today.
Hortus Cliffortianus, Linnaeus 1738 (public domain) Flower Arrangement Forms (credit: Claremont College)
Times have changed but the need to identify plants has not. New plants continue being discovered and determining their relationships on the 'tree of life' remains vital. DNA analysis, comparing samples of genetic sequences from different species, has confirmed many of Linnaeus's originally designations, but molecular studies have also re-ordered others into entirely new groups and relationships. DNA studies have greatly expanded the understanding of plant evolution since the first flowering plants appeared during the age of the dinosaurs, the Jurassic period 145 million years ago, and then exploded exponentially during the Cretaceous era that followed. Every landscape on Earth has plants adapted to it with even a few species grow in ice-free areas of Antarctica.
New technology keeps emerging that allows for more and more people to become involved in identifying plants even if they are not plant scientists. Tools for plant identification can use a clever c-phone app that turns a smartphone into a taxonomic 'key' that can identify a plant while walking through a forest, the mountains, or in a desert. The organization, Pl@ntNet, created Shazam to identify plants from their flowers, bark, and leaves by sending phone photos into their database. It then compares the viewer's images to what is digitally stored to help with an ID. As with digital maps that get can driving locations confused, digital plant ID's aren't perfect yet. New A.I. models like Flora Incognita, that allow users to access more than 16,000 different plants simply from a photo, is expanding rapidly. With every new plant uploaded into their database, proper ID's are continuously improving. These democratizing tools can be used by trained scientists and interested plant enthusiasts alike. They offer 'citizen scientists' the ability to use Big Data sets and everyone benefits in the process.
Knowledge of plants will grow as more and more participants gather data. Increasing appreciation of plants has the added benefit of counteracting plant blindness, a serious contemporary malady. Previously, you needed to haul a bulky wooden press around to prepare collected field specimens. The dried and pressed plants were then sent to some dusty archive perhaps never to be seen again. Now, your cell phone can open a botanical 'world of wonder' allowing you discover plants in all their diversity and beauty. They can become addictive. WHB