Montana Flowering Plant Identification

Key by Easy Choices

 Make selections from the categories below, then click 'GO TO SELECTED PLANT TYPE' at the bottom to jump to the Plant Listing and see the plants that match the Characteristics you entered.

Please note that the choices within each category may not be mutually exclusive.

Make the choice that best fits the description of your plant.

If you don't get an expected match, try unselecting categories that look most uncertain for your plant. Plant surfaces and flower arrangements are often most variable.

Plant Type
Herbs, mainly upright growing, with clear sap
Herbs containing milky sap
Herbs with spreading or creeping stems
Herbs, climbing
Herbs with no or very short stems
Cactuses
Flowering plants that lack chlorophyll
Shrubs, at least 1 foot tall, free-standing
Shrubs, at least 1 foot tall, climbing vines
Shrubs, low and mat-forming
 
Plant Surface
Naked or short-hairy
Spreading-hairy on most parts
Spiny on stem or leaves
Sticky or glandular on some parts
 
Leaf Type [Help]
Simple, flat, with smooth edges
Simple, thick or succulent, not needle-like
Simple, firm, narrow and needle-like
Simple, small, lying flat and scale-like
Toothed or lobed less than halfway to middle
Pinnately lobed more than halfway to middle
Palmately lobed more than halfway to middle
Divided into 3 separate leaflets
Pinnately divided into 4 or more leaflets
Palmately divided into 4 or more leaflets
No leaves
 
Leaf Arrangement [Help]
Basal only, or just 1 stem leaf
Alternate
Opposite
Whorled
No leaves
Flower Color
White or cream
Yellow or orange
Red
Pink or purple
Blue
Greenish or gray
Other
 
Flower Type [Help]
3 equal parts
4 equal parts
4 or less parts of unequal shape or size
5 equal parts that are separate to the base
5 equal parts that are partly joined
5 unequal parts, not pea-type
6 equal parts
6 or more parts of unequal shape or size
7 or more parts other than types below
Flowers pea-type
Flowers like daisies or dandelions
Flower parts difficult to distinguish
 
Shape of the individual flower parts
All parts whole with mostly smooth edges
Some parts fringed or toothed on edges
All parts notched or divided into 2 lobes
All parts divided into 3 or more lobes
One or more parts with a spur
Flower parts difficult to distinguish
 
Flower Arrangement [Help]
Flowers single on each stem
Elongated, comparatively narrow cluster(s)
Umbel-cluster(s)
Many in congested head-like cluster(s)
Flowers in separated pairs
Other type cluster(s) with 2 or more flowers
2 or more flowers not arranged cluster-like

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