Module 8 Assignment: Hobby Horticulturalist

You have decided to take up horticulture as a hobby. The first thing you will do in pursuit of this new passion is identifying a plant found in your yard or local environment. If you do not have a yard or live in an urban environment, visit a local park or botanical garden. Collect a field journal on your chosen plant (this means take lots of photos and measurements as you can).

Conduct appropriate research to provide the following information.

  1. Scientific and common name of your plant
  2. Classification of the plant (vascular vs. non-vascular, seedless vs. seed, flowering vs. non-flowering)
  3. Dominant stage in life cycle (gametophyte vs. sporophyte)
  4. Life span
  5. Reproductive frequency
  6. Method of reproduction (self vs. cross, artificial vs. natural reproduction)
  7. Method of pollen distribution
  8. Natural environment/distribution
  9. Type of root system
  10. Is your plant considered invasive or alien to your area?

Provide images (photographs, sketches, or even scans will work) of the following structures and label them appropriately.

  1. Shape of leaf (be sure to label all the parts of a leaf on one of your images)
  2. Primary and secondary growth (if appropriate)
  3. Flower or seed (if appropriate and available)

Rubric: Hobby Horticulturalist

Criteria Ratings Pts
Plant is identified Scientific and multiple common names provided Scientific and common name provided Scientific and common name are not both provided 3 pts
Plant is classified Plant is fully classified (vascularity, seeds, flowering) Plant is classified at only a high level (i.e. stop as vascular) Plant is not classified 3 pts
Life cycle is identified Dominant and secondary stage are identified Dominant stage is identified specific to plant at time of examination No life stage is identified 3 pts
Life span is noted Full life span is identified, along with “guess” as to current likely life span Average life span is identified Life span is not identified 3 pts
Reproductive frequency is identified Reproductive frequency is identified, along with current status (varies by plant and season) Reproductive frequency is identified Reproductive frequency is not identified 3 pts
Method of reproduction is identified Natural and artificial reproduction methods are both identified Typical reproduction method identified No reproductive method is identified 3 pts
Pollen distribution is noted Pollinators and pollination identified Pollen distribution is identified Pollen distribution is not discussed 3 pts
Natural environment Natural distribution and environmental requirements are noted Natural distribution is listed Distribution is not identified 3 pts
Root system identified Root system is identified and illustrated Root system is identified Root system is not identified 3 pts
Images are provided Leaf, growth, flower/seed are all photographed or imaged from multiple views and each image is clearly labeled Images are provided and gross features labeled Images are not provided or are not labeled 3 pts
Total points: 30