Partridgeberry and plant identification.

Recently my Mom gave me a plant identification reminder.  I was talking to her on the phone and mentioned I saw a large patch of partridgeberry.  She immediately told me that my father loves partridgeberry – especially partridgeberry jam.  This puzzled me because I’ve tasted partridgeberries and they taste like – nothing.  Not bad, not good, just bland and hardly memorable.  When was the last time you saw a u-pick for partridgeberries?

My Mom grew up in Newfoundland and Newfoundland is where my Dad learned to love partridgeberries.  I decided to investigate and discovered that to herbalist me partridgeberry is Mitchella repens.  To my Mom partridgeberry is Vaccinium vitis-idaea aka lingonberries (a relative of cranberries).  When my Mom was talking about picking partridgeberries as you would cranberries, I knew we must not be talking about the same plant.

Partridgeberry colony with last years berries.

Latin Names.

When discussing plants to ensure we are referring to the same one the Latin name is the gold standard.  Don’t worry about pronunciation as Latin is a dead language and there is no one to correct you.  I have seen it stated that each plant has only one Latin name.  That is not the whole truth.  Latin names do change as scientists learn about a particular species.  A specific Latin name, however, will never apply to more than one particular plant.  For plant identification it is ok that False Solomon’s Seal is Maianthemum racemosum and was once known as Smilacina racemosa because no one will suddenly decide to name a plant by either of those names.  By international agreement a Latin name applies to one specific plant.

Common names can apply to a wide variety of different species and also vary from place to place.  I can think of two different plants called Queen of the Meadow.  How many different plants have the word “rose” as part of their common name – when they are in no way related to Rosa spp? A common scientific language means herbalists can communicate across cultures.  I met an herbalist from Honduras.  I could send him a picture of a plant with the Latin name and a ? and he would (assuming he knew) be able to tell me yes or no.

Botany and plant identification.

Plant identification in the wild is about botany.  Related plants share similar characteristics.  By examining the physical characteristics of an herb, we can succeed in plant identification.  Depending on your interest level there are differing ways to learn.  Numerous plant apps are available.  Not my favorite, too much room for error.  Facebook groups that you can post a picture to and if someone recognizes the plant, they will post the answer.  Again, how knowledgeable is the group, how good a photographer are you, etc.  I’ve seen a picture of goldenrod printed in the Ottawa Citizen and identified as ragweed so there are issues.  I have taken and led plant walks and learning one on one with an expert is an excellent way to learn plant identification.

There is nothing as valuable as spending time with a plant and a plant identification book to learn the characteristics of a specific plant.  There is a great book called Botany in a Day that is an excellent resource.

Learning Takes Time.

For years I could not remember the difference between False Solomon’s Seal and Solomon’s Seal.  Years.  Hard to know if I had a block or was busy thinking about other stuff.  I would see the plants in the wild.  I knew it was one of the two, but I could never, for years, remember which was which.  Finally, I made up a memory device.  The primary difference is that in False Solomon’s Seal the flowers are in a terminal pyramidal shaped cluster at the end of the stem – much, to my mind, like the curl of an f.  In a Solomon’s Seal plant the flowers hang from the leaf axils along the stem.  The fruits form and dangle much like miniature seals that one might use to seal a letter.

Solomon’s Seal.

False Solomon’s Seal

This is my own personal memory device.  It works for me.  This isn’t the best photo to capture the f of the false Solomon’s Seal but I think you can see it. When I first saw motherwort, I made a note that the leaf looked like a quilted maple leaf.  That is what I saw.  When you are making notes – write what you see.  When learning plant identification make up whatever mnemonic you need.  I find when they are personal, they work better.

Plant Identification.

If I were casually interested in an herb, I might use an app for plant identification.  As an herbalist I seldom have only a casual interest.  Particularly in reference to plants that grow in my immediate vicinity.  I am continually learning.  I don’t know everything but when I know – I know.  That is likely for all of us.  Continually folks warn to make sure one knows the difference between common elder (Sambucus canadensis) and red elder (Sambucus racemosa).  Aside from the fact that common elder flowers form a flat-topped umbel and red elder flowers form a raceme, red elder flowers in May and common elder flowers in late June early July, and the berries of one are red and the other blue-black – easy to mistake one for the other.  Snark.  Sorry.  But I know both these plants.

It is a bit like being at a fabulous cocktail soiree and being introduced to many different people.  If you are looking across the room it might be hard to remember if that person standing by the bar is James or Jeff.  If you’ve known James for years you could recognize him even if he had his back to you.  It is the same with plants.

Common elder, weeks from flowering.

Red elder in flower, early May.

I’ve said it before but here we go again.  Take a single plant.  Spend time with it.  Know it intimately and you will be a better herbalist for it.

This summer I am on a quest for balsalm poplar.  I’ll let you know if I find one.