Definitions

These are some of the words from this website that you may need to know more about:

Word	Definition
Botanical Key	A botanical key gives a set of choices for you to make as you identify plants. They are often dichotomous keys which means they only have two choices at each step. Sometimes they have more than two choices at each step and are not dichotomous. Example of JUNCACEAE label.
Botanist	A botanist is a person who researches the characteristics of plants. This enables taxonomists to research plant identification and how plants are related to each other.
Characteristic	These are the features of a plant that made it different from other plants. Some examples are flower color, leaf shape, leaf margin and seed type.
Collecting Permit	In some areas you may need written permission to collect from the authorities. This is called a collecting permit.
Distribution	All the places the plant grows. Some plants have small distribution ranges and others are widespread.
Diversity	How many different plants there are and how different they are from one another.
GPS Unit	A Global Positioning Unit uses signals from satellites orbiting the earth to give an accurate reading of the latitude and longitude at any point on the earth.
Herbaceous	This is a plant that has no woody parts. This sort of plant is often small. Some examples are grasses, poppies, petunias and peas. Many vegetables are herbaceous plants.
Herbarium (pl. herbaria)	A place where plant specimens are stored and studied. An herbarium may also have a plant research facility and library.
Noxious weed	A weed is 'a plant out of place'. In other words a plant growing where it should not be, and possibly causing trouble. A noxious weed is a weed that is considered by the authorities of an area to be a problem and needs eradication.
Odometer	The meter in your car that tells you how many miles you have travelled.
Research	This usually means 'finding out about' something. Sometimes you do research using books in a library. Botanists use books, microscopes, plant collections, laboratory experiments and discussion with other botanists and experts in related fields to do their research.
Specimen	A sample of something, in this case a sample of a particular type of plant.