How to Collect & Identify Flowers
- 1). Ask for permission to collect flower specimens from any property that you do not own. Most national and state parks prohibit the collection of animals, plants, rocks and other objects without permission or a collecting permit.
- 2). Observe the flower in its natural habitat. Sometimes the flower's habitat aids in identifying the specimen, so photograph the plant from a distance as well as up close in its natural environment.
- 3). Record your observations of the flower's surrounding environment. Use numbers to correspond the notes with each photograph to help remind yourself which flower matches which note. You may also want to use a tape measure to record the total height of the flower before harvesting, as the height may be an important clue when distinguishing a flower from similar varieties.
- 4). Use a pair of pruning shears to collect the flower specimens. For easier identification, collect as much of the flower or plant as possible. Clip the flower specimen's stem as far down near the roots as possible leaving all or several leaves and blooms on the section of plant you removed.
- 5). Collect additional parts of the plant for further assistance when identifying. When necessary, collect seedpods, seeds, fruit, berries and even roots from the plants to aid in identification. Place all collected parts in individual plastic bags to take home and identify.
- 6). Note the colors and formation of blooms, number of petals and shape of leaves when identifying plants. Use a field guide or an online resource such as Realtimerendering.com to locate and identify a flower based on the characteristics of the specimens you collected.