A Flowering Plant That You Can ID...Solved!!.....Maple-Leaf Viburnum

Dave Shepard · June 10, 2007, 07:05:54 PM

Who? Michal A Dirr? Becuase The Minicatt isn't much help! ;D

Dave

Dodgy Loner · June 11, 2007, 01:17:29 PM

Quote from: WDH on June 09, 2007, 04:38:03 PM
I took the pic thinking it was a maple-leaf viburnum, but there were some unlobed leaves on this year's flush of new growth. There were definitely some 3-lobed leaves on the plant attached to the flowers in the photo.

So there were 3-lobed leaves on the plant, but you only showed us pics of the unlobed leaves?

That's almost as sneaky as showing only the terminal leaflet of a hickory leaf!

:D :D :D

You're probably right, though...just an atypical Viburnum acerifolium!

WDH · June 11, 2007, 01:22:15 PM

In my defense, it was the inflourescense that I was trying to show :

. I was planning to show the pic with the 3-lobed leaves in the background as the next clue. The unlobed leaves did not bother me at the time because I didn't know any better. Know I know that they confuse the situation. The good thing is that I learned something new ;D.

tcsmpsi · June 11, 2007, 02:11:21 PM

Taking into consideration where you were at, WDH, it might help to recognize that snakes, plants...and humans, take on genetic foundations which the books haven't caught up to. ;)

Certain liberties have tendency to be taken full advantage of.

WDH · June 11, 2007, 05:12:43 PM

You said it Tcsmpsi, I didn't ;D (although I would have if I had thought of it first :D).

Dodgy Loner · June 11, 2007, 05:54:38 PM

On a related note, I found some chalk maples this weekend that disagreed with the convergent tip theory that I've been peddling to my students for the last three years :

. The majority of the leaves on the plants looked like they should, but there were a few dissenters in the group to keep me on my toes.

WDH · June 11, 2007, 07:30:54 PM

One again proves the theory that, most of the time, there is no one sure-fire magic characteristic that is alway 100% certain in ID'ing a plant. It is better to look at several characteristics and surround the plant than to bore in on only one thing ;).

SwampDonkey · June 11, 2007, 08:20:44 PM

If you want to test your patience on leaf shape, explain to your students the general shape of rattlesnake root Prenanthes spp. ;D That must have one of the most variable shaped leaf a plant can come up with. 8) :D

But, generally it's sagitate. Sometimes lobed (2-6), sometimes not. Sometimes coursely serrate, sometimes not. ;D I find them mostly in alder thickets in organic soil.

Dodgy Loner · June 11, 2007, 10:31:01 PM

Quote from: WDH on June 11, 2007, 07:30:54 PM
One again proves the theory that, most of the time, there is no one sure-fire magic characteristic that is alway 100% certain in ID'ing a plant. It is better to look at several characteristics and surround the plant than to bore in on only one thing ;).

Well said. That's the most important message that I've been trying to get across for the last 3 years.