Hi folks, I'm trying to learn to identify plants. Today I bring 3 trees, I think I know correctly two of them but I would like to confirm if I am right since I am a newbie. The first one is Salix babylonica, my problem is that I saw there is a very similar tree which is a salix x sepulcralis, and I don't know how to differenciate them. The second is Cydonia oblonga, and I am pretty sure here. The last one is completely unknown to me, let's see if the pictures are good enough and some of you folks identify it. Thanks for your time and knowledge!!!
Thanks, I have seen some pictures and it is exactly the same I found. I would like to ask you if it would be possible to show the steps you followed to find out which plant it was. It would be very helpful to learn the process, I have tried it with my books but it is not easy to properly identify every characteristic of the plant. If you have time of course! If not, thanks again for the identification and see you soon on another thread.
That is not an easy question to answer. In my opinion, experience is king. It's going to take effort - sorry, there's no other way. Ask questions, try to identify the most common plants in your area, and consult as many refences as possible such as documentaries, reference books, field guides, etc. Join an organization related to plants and learn the basics of Botany. A good place to start is with Botany in a Day, by Thomas Elpel (I doubt anyone can really digest that book in one day). Try to find an area that interests you. Fungi (not plants), ferns, mosses, grasses, wild edibile plants, fruit trees, tropical plants, ornamental flowers, invasives, wetland plants, poisonous plants, etc. are just some specialty areas - the possibilities are endless. Yes, there are various identification shortcuts, such as MAD DOG, but they are generalities, and none of them or even all of them are going to make anyone competent. For instance as in the MAD DOG example, are those leaves really opposite to one another? Often, leaves only appear to be opposite to one another. I focus my efforts on identifying common wild plants of the eastern woodlands. I've studied for about 5 years, and yet I'm still a beginner; I probably always will be. Hope that helps.
THanks for your answer, this looks difficult. It is amazing that with a few pictures people in this forum is able to identify them. I plan to learn about wild edible plants. I found some books, but it is not easy to start, there are lots of specific names for everything and I am struggling with that. Hopefully with time I will improve. Unfortunately in my town there is not any association where I could learn, there is only interest in edible fungus like Lactarius deliciosus. I appreciate your answer!
Those on this forum have a lot of expertise and many of them are specialists. It's interpretation of the photos that is most important (plus the ancillary information such as time of year, location, habitat, etc.). That comes with experience. There are often fine distinctions between species. The details are important. It's not that difficult if you enjoy it. Otherwise, it's tedious. True. There can be several common names for the same plant and many different plants can share a common name. That is why scientific names are used. Yes, it gets easier. There's no doubt about that if you work at it.
Salix × sepulcralis is a hybrid between Salix babylonica and Salix alba 'Vitellina'; the most obvious difference is that Salix × sepulcralis inherits the yellow bark on year-old shoots from Salix alba 'Vitellina', while Salix babylonica has dull grey-brown bark on year-old shoots.
Yes you are real experts, it is very nice that people like you share their knowledge on this forum. At the moment I enjoy it, I hope that feeling will last. Thanks, I will have a lookt at those colours.
I believe everybody has a different approach to identification. Many people employ a "bottom-up" approach using identification tools to arrive to proper identification by feeding the tool step by step with details about the plant. I never use this approach, don't have any identification books, don't use identification keys, not being a botanist and with English as a second language I am unfamiliar with a lot of advanced terminology used in the keys (and don't try to learn, mea culpa). Having a very good visual memory though, and good pattern recognition skills I have a "top-down" approach – I say aha, it must be so-and-so kind of plant, and before posting a reply I check the available information on the Net to be sure that I am right. I am sure there are people on this forum, especially those who don't have botanical background, who use this kind of approach, too. Still others may use mixed approach. My approach works well when I am asked by others to identify a plant, chances are I will know what it is. Unfortunately it doesn't work for me, when I don't already know the plant or at least can see to what family, genus, or species it probably belongs to, I have to ask others to identify it for me. My advice for you is to follow questions and answers on this forum, it will help you a lot to train your eye in recognizing familial patterns. I find it very interesting thing to do. I am veeery interested in Lactarius deliciosus, too :) They grow in my yard, unfortunately only very few :( Sorry for a tardy response, It is a very busy time for a gardener with all the picking (especially small berry picking is very time consuming) and preserving, on top of all other work in the yard and the garden. But delicious sauerkraut, made from healthy, naturally grown vegetables, among other things, is well worth it!
Salix x sepulcralis is from S. babylonica x S. alba and produces olive green twigs. S. babylonica x S. alba var. vitellina 'Tristis' is the parentage of S. x sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma'. That particular cultivar does display bright golden yellow twigs.
