Botanical Keys

In this class we learn the basics of using botanical keys for identifying plants.

I have a short key to major plant families as a handout. (can be printed on one page, front and back)

Here is another longer key to families, taken from Asa Gray's Manual of Botany (copyright expired).

After finding the family, the online Jepson Manual is a great resource for identifying the plant.  It is the only online resource I have found with fairly complete keys.

I usually carry A Guide To Rocky Mountain Plants with me when hiking, because it is a fairly easy-to-use key and has most commonly seen local plants.