Identifying Northern Utah's Flowering Plant Families

This table presents hints on how to recognize northern Utah's most common flowering plant families. These hints should work with common members of the families, but exceptional species may not do so (after all, they are exceptional). The first column shows the rank of the family in terms of number of species included in R.J. Shaw's Vascular Plants of Northern Utah, families of equal numbers of species being ordered by their number of native species and then alphabetically. The second column is the rank order when families with the same number of species are given the same rank order. To see the number of species in a family present in northern Utah, click here (for a listing in order of family size) or here for an alphabetical listing of the families. I had intended to include just the top 25 families, but some of the conspicuous plants in the vicinity of Tony Grove belong to other families, and Tony Grove is a wondrous place to visit if you like flowers.

Family Barkworth's Handy Hints
1 1 Asteraceae Inflorescence a head
2 2 Poaceae Blade, ligule, open sheath. Round stems 
3 3 Brassicaceae Four petals, 6 stamens; fruit silique or silicle 
4 4 Cyperaceae Drab flowers, spirally arranged; 3-angled stems
5 5 Fabaceae "Pea type flower": Upper and 2 side petals separate, lower 2 petals lightly fused around the sexual parts; fruit a legume (i.e., a pea pod)
6 6 Scrophulariaceae Corolla united, bilaterally symmetric; ovary superior; stamens usually <5
7 6 Rosaceae Many stamens, hypanthium, often stipules 
8 7 Ranunculaceae Many stamens, no hypanthium, no stipules, usually >1 pistil
9 8 Boraginaceae Corolla united, radially symmetric; fruit 4 nutlets
10 9 Caryophyllaceae Corolla of separate petals, radially symmetric; style divided to ovary; leaves opposite
11 10 Apiaceae Inflorescence an umbel; swollen petiole base; inferior ovary; leaves alternate; herbaceous
12 10 Polygonaceae Perianth whorls poorly differentiated; sheathing stipules; fruit a 3-sided achene
13 11 Liliaceae 6 poorly differentiated perianth segments; 6 stamens; superior ovary
14 12 Chenopodiaceae Perianth absent or neglible at flowering time, calyx sometimes conspicuous in fruit; 2 style branches; "mealy" deposits; often in alkaline soils
15 13 Onagraceae Four separate petals, often on a hypanthium; 8 stamens; inferior ovary
16 14 Lamiaceae Corolla united, bilaterally symmetric; fruit 4 nutlets; smelly; leaves opposite, stems square
17 15 Polemoniaceae Corolla united, radially symmetric; style 3-branched at top; ovary with 3-locules
18 16 Salicaceae Catkins; dioecious; fruit a capsule with lots of seeds each with tufts of hairs; stipules (but they fall off)
19 17 Juncaceae Grasslike plants but with a perianth of 6 parts and 3 style branches.
20 17 Caprifoliaceae Corolla united, slightly to strongly bilaterally symmetric; leaves opposite; plants woody
21 18 Saxifragaceae Naked stem with panicle, all leaves basal. Corolla of 5 separate petals; stamens 10 or fewer; hypanthium
22 19 Orchidaceae Corolla of 6 parts, bilaterally symmetric; ovary inferior; no obvious stamens
23 20 Solanaceae Corolla united, usually radially symmetric; calyx united, at least at the base; ovary superior; style not branched; ovary with 2 locules
24 21 Malvaceae Stamens lots, united by their filaments into a tube. Often with stellate hairs.
25 21 Euphorbiaceae Weird! We have only Euphorbia. Look for a 3-lobed capsule topped by a 3-lobed stigma protruding from a cyathium
31 28 Hydrophyllaceae Corolla united, radially symmetric; ovary superior; style with 2 branches; calyx of separate sepals
32 29 Gentianaceae Corolla united, radially symmetric; style unbranched; ovary with 1 locule
36 31 Grossulariaceae Hypanthium; petals smaller or less colorful than sepals; ovary inferior
37 31 Violaceae Corolla of separate petals, bilaterally symmetric, spurred; weird anthers.
41 33 Asclepiadaceae Weird flower - think pentagon; milky juice; fruit a capsule with lots of seeds, each with a tuft of hairs
43 33 Geraniaceae Corolla of separate petals, radially symmetric; 5 style branches, 15 stamens; styles elongate in fruit
45 33 Betulaceae Staminate flowers in catkins; pistillate flowers in all kinds of arrangement but no evident perianth; plants woody, monoecious
50 34 Valerianaceae Corolla united, bilaterally symmetric; ovary inferior; plants herbaceous; calyx gorgeous in fruit

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