Wetland Plant Identification

Target Audience: 

Personnel involved in wetland issues. The course is taught by instructors from the FWS, Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Corps of Engineers.  

Summary and Objectives: 

This interagency course is designed to improve the ability of field staff to identify wetland plants using botanical manuals and floras. The class consists of several one-day sessions on the following groups: woody plants, including winter condition; herbaceous dicots; and grasses, sedges and rushes, and other monocots. Lectures discuss morphology, terminology and identification. Plants representative of that day's topics(s) are collected daily in the field and keyed-out in the classroom, in both directed and individual keying exercises.  

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:  

• Accurately identify wetland plants to the species level by using morphological characteristics and major botanical terms. 
• Properly use botanical keys, including regional wetland floras keys and electronic keys. 
• Recognize selected plant families that commonly occur in wetlands. 
• Observe wetland plants in the field to reinforce plant morphological characteristics. 
• Demonstrate how to properly collect plant specimens, differentiating between museum and field techniques. 
• Develop field notebook based on the course's lecture, lab, and field activities.  

Competency Addressed: 

Botany - Basic, Plant Ecology - Awareness, Wetland Biology and Ecology – Awareness