Boston Flora

Tag: taxonomy

  • Thursday, July 20, 5:30 pm – Unraveling the Mysteries Behind Plant Names

    Botanical names hold great power for gardeners; they offer insight for plant identification, cultural growing requirements, and botanical trivia, and allow a means for communicating with gardeners around the world. Still, Latin names can be intimidating to learn, understand, and pronounce. This July 20 talk by new Polly Hill Arboretum Curator Todd Rounsaville will help to simplify the challenging subject of plant names: where do they come from? What do they mean? Why do they change? The lecture will begin at 5:30 at the Arboretum, 809 State Road in West Tisbury. $10 / $5 for PHA members.

  • Saturday, January 15, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Wetlands Species ID in Winter

    This New England Wild Flower Society program, Wetlands Species ID in Winter, to be held at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Saturday, January 15 from 9 – 3, builds knowledge and skills for recognizing wetland trees and shrubs in winter (skunk cabbage, below.)  The morning session is spent indoors learning key identification features. After lunch, go out in the field to see the plants in their habitats and determine wetland boundaries. Some familiarity with common wetland plants and taxonomy is helpful. Dress warmly and prepare for cold, wet field conditions. Bring a hand lens and a bag lunch. $70 for NEWFS members, $80 for non-members. For more information, log on to www.newfs.org.