Plant Identification of White Flowers
The best way to identify a flower is to examine the entire plant and consult a field guide. You could compare photos randomly, but a better way is to narrow it down by looking at various characteristics of the plant, both the leaves and the flower itself, in addition to where it lives. Does this Spark an idea?
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Leaf Types
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Leaves can be broad or narrow. Broad leaves are more likely to have visible veins in them. Pay attention to how and where the leaves are attached to the stem, also. For some plants, two leaves are exactly opposite each other, and on others, the leaves alternate as they go up the stem. A third alternative is what is known as a whorled pattern, where several leaves extend from the end of a twig.
Leaf Shapes
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Leaves can have lobes or not. Lobes are projections that have curved or rounded edges. Some leaves have a toothed edge and some have a smooth edge. Leaf structures can be simple or compound; simple leaves have one blade that is not divided, and a compound leave has more than one blade. Compound leaves come in several types. They can be palmately compound, meaning that all of the leaflets are attached at the end of a stalk, or pinnately compound, meaning that the leaflets branch off along the length of a stalk.
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Number of Petals
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Flowers can be categorized by the number of petals they have. Some have three or six. Some have four, and some have five, and some have six or more. And some plants have single flowers, while others have groups of little flowers all together, such as baby's breath. This is called inflorescence.
Flower Color
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There are many types of flowers that have several different colors of blooms, so the fact that the flower you are looking at is white may not be as important as its shape and the shape of the leaves and the overall plant.
Region
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Another thing to consider is the region where you have found the flower. Different flowers grow naturally in different areas of the world and in different climates. You won't find the same wildflowers in the northeastern U.S. as you will find in southern California, for example.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit little white flower image by Seneka from Fotolia.com
