Instructions

Class Period One

1) Tell students they will be surveying their backyard or schoolyard for weedy species, collecting a plant specimen, and preparing a voucher.

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2) Instruct them to review the Student Page: “Collecting a Scientific Specimen,” before choosing their plant. Make sure they record the required data as they collect. Plants that are especially woody or succulent should be avoided for this exercise, as they will be difficult to press.

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3) Explain that properly collected plant vouchers are essential for taxonomic identification. They provide a permanent record of information that can be reviewed or assessed as botanists learn more. A good voucher consists of a dried, pressed section of a plant containing well-preserved vegetative and reproductive structures (flowers and/or fruits). Scientific determinations are only as good as the specimens on which they are based; poor quality specimens (lacking flowers or fruits or insufficiently documented) may result in incomplete or unreliable identifications.

Class Period Two

1) If possible, identify the species collected using plant guides available online and from library. One excellent source is: Weeds of Hawai‘i’s Pastures and Natural Areas; An Identification and Management Guide by P. Motooka et al. ©2003, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.Another source is the Maui Early Detection Guide. Download this guide at http://pbin.nbii.org/reportapest.

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2) If you suspect any of the plants collected are invasive species, follow the instructions in the guide, or call Maui Invasive Species Committee at (808) 573-MISC.

Main features to look for:

• Leaves. What shape are they? Are the edges smooth or toothed? Look at the leaf veins: what kind of pattern are they in? If parallel, the veins run side by side (like grass). If pinnate, small veins branch out from the middle, resembling a feather. If palmate, the veins have several major veins with smaller ones branching from them (like a kukui leaf). If the plant has needles rather than leaves, are they long or short? Covered with scales? Find identical leaves in your field guide.
• Flowers. Count whether the petals come in multiples of three, four or five. Note color, shape and arrangement of petals. Remember that “flowers” refer to the reproductive parts of the plant. Not all flowers are showy with colorful petals; grass flowers are simple tassels.
• Fruit. What type of fruits does the plant produce? Describe the fruit: shape, color, size. Is it fleshy or dry? Does it have a large pit or multiple small seeds?

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3) Assist students in preparing and pressing their plant samples. See Student Page “Collecting a Scientific Specimen.”

Class Period Three

Allow a week or more for pressed specimens to dry prior to this class.

1) Once the specimens have dried, have students remove them from the press and mount them on acid-free paper with glue. Encourage them to handle the brittle plants with care. Photographs of the original plant may be included on the same page. (Be sure to label photos with voucher number.)

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2) Have students affix a voucher label in the lower right hand corner of their sheet with the following information:

• Genus, species (if known; if not known write “Species unknown”)
• Family
• Location (description and GPS coordinates, if known)
• Habitat, topography, vegetation, soil type, altitude
• Frequency: rare, occasional, or common (is the plant rare or plentiful in the area?)
• Plant description: height of plant; scent; color, shape, and orientation of leaves, flowers,
  and fruits
• Date of collection
• Name of collector
• Name of identifier
• Voucher number (assign a unique number to each voucher to identify it according to collector and class)

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3) Attach a small paper pouch to each sheet for extra flowers or fruits or any pieces of the specimen that become dislodged over time.

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4) Create a voucher log, listing all of the students’ voucher numbers and descriptions of each.