Hands-on Activities for Plant Biology
Completion requirements
Plant Observation and Identification
- Activity 1: Practice using
identification keys. There are many print publications for plant
identification, below are a few online tools. If you are new to using
identification keys, try starting with a plant that you already know the
identification and attempt to work through one of these keys or a key from
another source.
- Cornell’s Woody Plant Database http://woodyplants.cals.cornell.edu/home
- Cornell’s Turfgrass and Landscape Weed ID http://turfweeds.cals.cornell.edu/
- Cornell’s online Guide to Viburnums http://www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/key/index.html
- The Plant List, a working list of all known species http://www.worldfloraonline.org/ (this site gets updated frequently. If it does not open right away, check back later)
- Activity 2: A Close Look: Cultivating Plant Observation Skills: Recognize the parts of a plant and their functions.
- Activity 3: Flower Parts: This hands-on activity explores different parts of
flowers.
- Handout: Flower Parts
- Activity 4: Herbaceous Plants: Examine herbaceous plants that are commonly used in NYS landscapes.
- Activity 5: Monocots and Dicots: Understand
the differences between monocots and dicots and identify different parts of a
seed.
- Handout: Monocots and Dicots
- Key: Monocots and Dicots
- Activity 6: Woody Plants: Learn woody plant characteristics and how plant characteristics are used in
classification, identification and dichotomous keys.
- Handout: Excerpt from Manual of Woody Plants
Last modified: Wednesday, 10 June 2026, 2:01 PM