How to Identify a Flowering Vine
Flowering vines are colorful plants that grow as bushes or shrubs and are used to beautify a landscape. Perhaps you have a flowering vine on your own property that you want to identify so that you know how to properly care for it, or maybe you want to grow this vine in another part of your garden. Using an Internet resource, you can enter the characteristics of your botanical and correctly identify your flowering vine. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Select an appropriate time to examine your flowering vine for identification. You want the flowers to be in full bloom so that you can accurately record these characteristics and have the best chance for naming the plant. The spring and summer months are usually the growing season for many flowers and is the best time to collect your data.
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Look at your flowering vine to note the key traits of the flowers on the plant. Use a notebook to write down the colors of the blossom and indicate how many petals each one has. Further, make a notation about whether these flowers grow in groups, or if they sprout off the branch separately.
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Write down the leaf features that are key to classifying your vine. Make a note about any distinctive leaf shapes and look at the veins to see if they are a particular color. Continue to record whether the leaves are opaque or transparent and feel the texture to see if they are coarse or smooth. You can use a camera to capture these details, but the notes you write down create a more comprehensive description because you can provide information about characteristics such as texture that the camera cannot capture.
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Record the attributes of the overall plant, including the size and growth pattern. For instance, how tall is the flowering vine, and does this plant cling to anything like a wall? This trait may indicate that the flowering vine thrives in full sunlight, because it is trying to get closer to the sun.
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Access the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website to input your data and identify your flowering vine (see Resources). Click the "Advanced Search" link on the left side of the page and input the data that you gathered. You can select your location by clicking an option in the "Distribution" section and then click the "Vine" option in the "Ecology" section. Further, you can make selections regarding the flower, foliage and height traits underneath the "Morphology/Physiology" section. Continue to add additional information, as preferred, and click the "Display Results" button at the very bottom of the page when done. Click the links on the results page to get the various plant information, such as a photo and common name, that helps you identify your flowering vine.
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Tips & Warnings
A local garden center or nursery may be able to help with the identification if you provide them your notes and/or photographs of the flowering vine.
