How to Identify House Plants and Vines
Identify houseplants to ensure you're giving them the correct level of care, to figure out common plant pests, to purchase additional plants or to become a better gardener and botanist. Common houseplants are not challenging to identify, but gardeners with exotic or unusual specimens will have to work harder to identify the houseplant. This activity can be done at any time of year and requires nothing more than observation and research. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Take a picture of your houseplant to use for identification purposes.
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Measure the length and width of your house plant's leaves. Record this information.
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African violets have hairy leaves and vivid flowers. Feel the plant. Are the leaves or stem rough or hairy? Write this down.
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Record as much additional visual information about the houseplant, such as the color of the leaves and the presence of flowers. Note whether the flower has a scent, how many petals it has and what color they are.
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Work through the plant identification guide from The Encyclopedia of Houseplants (see Resources section). This guide lists common house plants and is not all-inclusive.
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Browse images of houseplants by class from Plant Oasis, if you know what type of plant you have, but can't identify the exact species (see Resources section). Plant Oasis lists ferns, orchids, succulents and cactus, flowering plants and other types of plants. View images until you find a plant that matches yours.
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Visit local garden centers (including the one where you bought your houseplant or vine, if possible). Browse the aisles until you find a plant that looks like yours. Or talk to a staff member and show them the picture of your plant so they can help you identify it.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit aloe image by pix29 from Fotolia.com african violet image by pncphotos from Fotolia.com
