Download Plant Identification

Plant Identification
Horticulture I
Objective 17.00
Abelia X Grandiflora
Glossy Abelia
Deciduous shrub
3-6 feet tall and 3-6 feet wide
Pinkish to white fragrant flowers
Attracts butterflies
Used in the landscape, often in hedges
Acer palmatum
Japanese Maple
Deciduous Tree
Height: 15-25 feet; Width: 10-25 feet
Leaves are green during the summer;
yellow, bronze, purple or red in the fall
Used to add layers to the landscape.
Acer rubrum
Red Maple
Deciduous Tree
Height 40-70 feet
Summer leaves are green or gray; Fall
leaves range from greenish yellow, to red,
to burgundy.
Used for shade in the landscape.
Ageratum mexicanum
Ageratum
Container plant- Annual
Height: 6-8 inches; Width: 8 inches
Magenta or Red Flowers
Used in edging, mass plantings or
containers
Ajuga reptans
Ajuga
Semi-Evergreen groundcover
Height: 2-4 inches
Leaves can be light to dark green,
brownish, purple, bronze or verigated.
Flowers are small and blue, white, pink or
purple depending on cultivar.
Aracaria heterophylla
Norfolk Island Pine
Evergreen tree
Height: Over 40 ft; Width: 20-25 feet
Looks like a Christmas Tree
Often used indoors during Christmas time;
Can be used in the landscape as a part of
a hedge row or specimen plant.
Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’
Sprengeri Fern
Container plant
Height: 12-24 inches; Width: 3 ft.
Looks fern like with delicate feather like
leaves and thorns.
Good in hanging baskets, or as a
groundcover.
Aucuba japonica
Japanese Aucuba
Evergreen Shrub
Height: 6-10 feet; Width: 4-6 feet
3-8 inch leathery leaves
Used in the landscape for it’s foliage
Begonia X semperflorens-cultorum
Wax Begonia
Container plant- Annual
Height:6-15 inches; Width: 6-15 inches
Glossy, thick, succulent leaves
Showy flowers from June until frost
Berberis thunbergii
Japanese Barberry
Deciduous Shrub
3-6 feet tall
Summer leaves: Bright green; Fall leaves:
orange, red or purple.
Used in the landscape in mass plantings,
hedges, and borders
Betula nigra
River Birch
Deciduous Tree
50-70 feet tall
Multi-stemmed tree with ornate peeling
bark.
Tree drops leaves quickly in the fall.
Buxus sempervirens
Common Boxwood
Evergreen Shrub
Height and Width 15-20 feet
Dark to light green leaves (new growth)
with smooth margins.
Used in mass plantings or hedges.
Canna X generalis
Canna
Single large showy flower
24-48 inches high
Large showy colorful flower
Provide splashes of color in the
landscape, with tropical looking foliage.
Cercis canadensis
Eastern Red Bud/ Judas Tree
Deciduous tree
Height 20-30 feet; Width 25-35 feet
Bronze or medium green heart shaped
leaves; slowly turning green.
Small pink/lavender flowers in spring
Used in the landscape as group or
specimen planting.
Chlorophytum comosum cv.
Spider Plant
Container Plant
8-18 inches tall
Often used indoors or outdoors in hanging
baskets.
Chrysanthemum morifolium
Florist Chrysanthemum
Container plant- Annual
1-3 ft. tall and wide
Often used in the landscape for seasonal
color, or indoors for added color. This
plant flowers in the fall.
Flowers are large and showy. Can be
pink, purple, red, lavender, yellow or
orange.
Chrysanthemum superbum
Shasta Daisy
Perennial Plant
Height: 12-36 inches
Flowers are showy, and are white with
yellow centers.
Popular for perennial borders, or cut
flowers in vases.
Coleus X hybridus
Coleus
Annual plant
Height 8-20 inches; Width 6-10 inches
Used in the landscape or in containers for
it’s colorful foliage. Colors and leaf
textures vary widely.
Cornus florida
Flowering Dogwood
Deciduous Tree
30 feet tall and wide
3-6 inch green leaves in summer; showy
red leaves fall
Flowers are small and yellow or white
Used in the landscape alone or in a
grouping.
X Cupressocyparis leylandii
Leyland Cypress
Evergreen Tree
Height: 60-90 feet; Width: 12-15 feet
Bluish green needles
Fast growing tree often used in the
landscape as a screen.
Dieffenbachia maculata
Dumbcane
Tropical plant (Annual in our climate)
6-8 feet tall
Grown for it’s leaves (Large green leaves
with white patterns)
Often grown in containers indoors
Epipremnum aureum cv.
Golden Pothos
Evergreen vine
Very invasive in the wild
Heart shaped leaves
Often used as a house plant
Euonymus alata
Winged Euonymus
Deciduous Shrub
15-20 feet tall and wide
Dark green summer leaves; bright red fall
leaves
Used as a foundation planting (around
houses, in a group, or on a border)
Euonymus japonica ‘Veriegata’
Evergreen Euonymus
Evergreen Shrub
Height: 10-15 feet; Width: 5-6 feet
Greenish white flowers
1-3 inch dark green waxy leaves
Used in hedge rows. Often in formal
gardens
Euphorbia pulcherrima cv.
Poinsettia
Deciduous Shrub (Often seen as a
container plant)
2-16 feet tall
Large green leaves (3-6 inches long) that
turn red, white, cream, pink, or marbled.
This is what is often called the “Flower”.
Ficus benjamina
Weeping Fig
Evergreen tree
Can reach over 95 feet tall
Gracefully drooping branches and leaves
that are dark green, glossy, and 2-5 inches
long.
Often used indoors, but can be part of the
outdoor landscape.
Ficus elastica ‘Decora’
Decora Rubber Plant
Tropical Tree (Often used indoors)
30-40 feet tall
Grown for it’s leaves, which are large, dark
green, and leathery.
Most suitable for growing indoors in our
climate.
Forsythia X intermedia
Border Forsythia
Deciduous Shrub
Height: 8-10 feet; Width: 10-12 feet
Showy yellow flowers in spring
3-5 inch long, dark green leaves
Used in the landscape as a shrub border,
or mass planting.
Hedera helix
English Ivy
Evergreen Vine
Dark green leaves with white veins.
Used in the landscape as a groundcover,
wall cover, or in shady locations
Hemerocallis cv.
Day Lily
Perennial Plant
About 2 feet tall
Add seasonal color to the landscape with
large showy flowers. Flowers are present
for 24 hours, then replaced by another
flower, hence the name Day Lily.
Hosta sp.
Hosta
Perennial Plant
1-18 inches long, and 1-12 inches broad
Large green or green and white leaves
Small white fragrant flowers
Used in the landscape as a shade tolerant
ground cover.
Ilex X attenuata ‘Fosteri’
Fosteri Holly
Evergreen Shrub or Tree
Height: 20-30 feet; Width: 10-20 feet
Waxy evergreen leaf with spines
Used in the landscape as a tall hedge, or
specimen tree
Ilex cornuta ‘Dwarf Burford’
Dward Burford Holly
Evergreen shrub
Reaches 6 feet tall
Small red fruit
Leaves are waxy with smooth edges and
one spine
Used in the landscape as a foundation
planting or small screen
Ilex crenata ‘Helleri’
Helleri Holly
Evergreen shrub
Height: 2-3 feet; Width: 3-4 feet
Small black fruit
Glossy green leaves with one spine
Used in the landscape as a foundation
planting, or as a hedge row
Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’
Dwarf Yaupon
Evergreen Shrub
Height and Width: 3-5 feet
White flowers produce small red berries
Dark green oval shaped, crenate leaf; new
growth is yellowish green.
Often used in the landscape as a hedge
row.
Impatiens
Impatiens
There are about 1,000 species of this
flowering plant
Height and Width 9-20 inches
Flowers up to 2 inches in diameter; Colors
range from white, pink, salmon, purple,
orange or red.
Often used in containers, or in the
landscape to add seasonal color.
Iris X germanica var. florentive
Bearded Iris
Plant
Height: 24 inches; Width: 15 inches
Large white flowers
Swordlike leaves
Often used in the landscape in large
groupings
Juniperus conferta
Shore Juniper
Evergreen Shrub
Height: 1-2 feet; Width: 6-9 feet
Gray-green, or blue-green needle like
leaves
Produces small cones
Used in the landscape as a fast growing
ground cover
Juniperus horizontalis ‘Plumosa’
Creeing Juniper
Evergreen Shrub
Height: 1-2 feet; Width: 8-10 feet
Green to blue-green needlelike leaves
Used in the landscape as a groundcover.
Lagerstroemia indica cv.
Crape Myrtle
Deciduous Tree
Height ranges from 18 inches to 40 feet
Flower clusters are large and showy.
Colors range from white, pink, purple,
lavender and red.
Exfoliating (peeley) bark; multi-stemmed
trunk.
Used in the landscape as a specimen or
as part of a grouping.
Ligustrum japonicum
Japanese Privet
Evergreen shrub or small tree
Height: 6-12 feet
Glossy dark green leaves
White flower clusters
Used in the landscape as a hedge, or as a
multi stemmed tree.
Liquidambar styraciflua
Sweetgum
Deciduous Tree
Height: 65-115 feet
Produces a 3-4 cm capsule shaped fruit
Palmate leaves are green in summer; red,
yellow, or purplish in the fall
Used in the landscape as a specimen tree
for its dramatic fall color.
Liriope muscari
Liriope
Flowering perennial plant
12-18 inches
Long skinny dark green or varigated
leaves.
Small, showy purple or white flowers
Used in the landscape as a border or
ground cover.
Magnolia grandiflora
Southern Magnolia
Evergreen Tree
Height can be up to 90 feet
Large dark green leaves
Large white fragrant flowers
Used in the landscape as an ornamental
tree.
Malus
Flowering Crabapple
Deciduous Tree
10-25 feet tall
Pink or white flowers
Fruit is similar to an apple, but less that 2
inches in diameter
Many uses in the landscape: Specimen,
screen, patio, wildlife habitat, etc.
Maranta leuconeura var. kerchoviana
Prayer Plant
Indoor foliage plant
Height: 12-18 inches; Width: 12-36 inches
Leaves are green and silver varigated
Used as an indoor container plant, or in
the landscape as a border or ground
cover.
Myrica cerifera
Wax Myrtle
Evergreen: Small tree, or shrub
Height: 10-15 feet; Width: 8-10 feet
1.5-3 inch green leaves that have an
interesting smell
Used in the landscape to provide screens,
or as a part of a perennial border.
Nandina domestica
Dwarf Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo)
Evergreen shrub
Height: 7-8 feet
5-10 mm bright red fruit
Leaves- Spring: Copper; Summer: Green;
Fall: Reddish-purple
Used in the landscape because of its
interesting foliage. Used in shrub borders,
or group plantings.
Nephrolepis exaltata
Boston Fern
House plant
Fronds can be up to 2-3 feet long
Fronds are comprised of smaller pinnate
leaves
Used mainly in hanging baskets or
containers
Ophiopogon japonicus
Mondo Grass
Evergreen perennial plant
6-10 inches high
Long dark green grass like leaves
Lilac to white flowers in the summer
Used in the landscape as a border or
groundcover.
Pelargonium X hortorum
Geranium
Annual plant
Height: 12-18 inches; Width: 18-24 inches
3-5 inch heart shaped leaves
Showy flowers range in color from orange,
white, pink, red, salmon, violet, and bicolors.
Used in hanging baskets, and to add
seasonal color to the landscape.
Pelargonium peltatum
Ivy Leaf Geranium
Perennial Plant
Height: 1-2 feet; Width: 1-3 feet
Showy flowers that range from red, pink,
white or lavender
Ivy-like green leaves
Used in hanging baskets, or in the
landscape as groundcover.
Petunia sp.
Petunia
Flowering Plant
Height: 3-6 inches; Width: 3-4 feet
Known for their brilliant flowers; ranging in
colors from red, purple, pink, blue, lilac,
white, and others.
Used in containers, or in the landscape as
a groundcover.
Philodendron scandens var. oxycardium
Parlor Ivy
Evergreen perennial vine
5-12 inch leaves are heart shaped and
dark green in color
Used indoors because of its tropical
nature.
Pinus mugo var. mugo
Mugo Pine
Evergreen dwarfed tree
Height and width 5-20 feet
Leaves: 1-2 inch evergreen needles
Fruit: 1-2 inch gray cone
Used in the landscape as a group planting,
or evergreen border.
Pinus strobus
Eastern White Pine
Evergreen tree
Height: 50-80 feet; Width: 30-50 feet
Light green; 4 inch long needles. There
are 5 needles per fascicle (bundle)
Fruit: 6-8 inch brown cones
Used in the landscape in large spaces.
Pinus taeda
Loblolly Pine
Evergreen tree
98-115 feet tall
Leaves: Needles (5-9 inches) are in
bundles of three, and are often twisted.
Fruit: 3-6 inch reddish-brown cones
Used in the landscape in large areas
Plectranthus australis
Swedish Ivy
Vine
Stems trail to 3 feet
1-1 ½ inch dark green leaves with
scalloped margins
Small flowers
Used in containers, or as a groundcover in
the landscape.
Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’
Japanese Flowering Cherry
Deciduous Tree
Can reach up to 30 feet tall and wide
Leaves: 3-5 inches long, green
Flower: Very showy, deep pink flower
Used in the landscape as a specimen tree,
or as part of a group planting.
Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’
Bradford Pear
Deciduous Tree
30-40 feet tall
2-3 inch oval shaped leaves with a crenate
margin. Summer: Green; Fall: Red,
purple, or orange
Flowers: Small and white
Fruit: ½ inch round fruit
Used in the landscape as a specimen, or
as a group planting.
Quercus palustris
Pin Oak
Deciduous tree
75 feet tall and 40 feet wide
3-6 inch long leaves with 5-7 lobes.
Summer: Green; Fall: Red or bronze color
Fruit: small acorns
Used in the landscape as a shade tree, or
in a large space
Quercus phellos
Willow Oak
Deciduous Tree
2-5 inch linear leaves; dark green
Fruit: ¼-1/2 inch acorns
Used in the landscape for shade, or in
large areas.
Rhododendron catawbiense
Catawaba Hybrid Rhododendron
Evergreen Shrub
Height and Width: 6-10 feet
Flower: 5-6 inch bunches of purple or lilac
flowers
Leaves: 3-6 inch large leathery leaves that
droop in cold weather.
Used in the landscape in a large
groupings, or in a hedge row.
Rhododendron kiusianum (obtusum
japonicum)
Azalea
Evergreen Shrub
2-3 feet tall
White, red or purple funnel shaped flowers
Small, oval, dark green leaves
Used in the landscape in group plantings,
or as a hedge row. Widely used in our
area.
Saintpaulia ionantha
African Violet
Container plant
Height: Under 6 inches
Blue-Violet single flower
Leaves: Dark green with a serrated edge
Used mainly indoors as a container plant
in our area.
Salvia splendens
Salvia
Annual bedding plant
Height 8 inches- 3 feet depending on
cultivar
Spiked, two lipped flowers. Range in color
from white, salmon, purple, or red.
Used as a container plant, or to add
seasonal color to the landscape.
Schefflera arboricola
Dwarf Schefflera
Evergreen Shrub
10-15 feet tall
4 inch- Palmate Compound leaves
Used mainly indoors in large containers
Spathiphyllum cvs.
Peace Lily
Indoor Container Plant
2-3 feet tall
Large, dark green, glossy leaves
Large, white cone shaped flowers
Used indoors, needs little sunlight
Tagetes erecta
African Marigold
Annual bedding plant
8-24 inches tall
Large, showy round flowers range in color
from orange, yellow, to red-brown
Used in the landscape to add seasonal
color.
Tradescantia zebrina
Purple Wandering Jew
Annual Vine
Forms a dense groundcover
3 inch hairy leaves are striped with purple
and green. The underside is an intense
violet color
Used in hanging baskets, and as a
groundcover in the landscape.
Voila X wittrockiana
Pansy
Perennial plant; often used as an annual
6-8 inches tall
1-2 inch showy flower. Colors range from
blue, orange, pink, purple, red, white, or
yellow.
Used in the landscape as winter annual
color. Also suitable as a container plant.