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Labelling Plants

If you are an indoor or outdoor gardener with children there are some factors to take into consideration. Many plants, leaves and seeds are dangerous if ingested, this can include handmade jewellery consisting of beads, nuts and seeds.

All plants have a universally recognisable Latin name consisting of a genus and species which reads, for example, Toxicodendron radicans – Poison Ivy
This name is important as common or local names may not be recognised by hospitals or doctors.

The Latin name should be included in the card inserted into the plant pot if you purchased it from a garden centre. If it is not present then contact a local botanist, garden centre or university for help with identification.

This is very important for friends, family, and babysitters as they should be clear about what to do if the situation arises.

If your child consumes any part of a plant, you must immediately contact medical services stating the Latin genus and species of the plant as noted above.
It will take careful research into the plants growing in your house or garden, but a little time can prevent serious accidents.

Like anyone else, children are attracted to bright berries and mushrooms, which, in many cases, are the most dangerous. Educate your children not to put plants in their mouths, to wear gloves when helping with the garden, and always to wash their hands when finished.

Would you like our Dan The Gardener & Friends FREE Activity Book for kids packed full of colouring-in, dot to dot, word searches, recycling tips and diary sheets plus more?

Here is a Plant Dictionary

Annual	A plant which has a life cycle of a year after it is planted.
Aquatic	A plant that partially grows in water.
Biennial	A plant which lives for two seasons after it is planted.
Bloom	A waxy layer on the leaves of some plants.
Bulb	A storage organ formed underground such as Garlic, Daffodils and Bluebells.
Compost	Compost, is decomposed vegetable materials used for growing plants because of its richness in Minerals – See What is compost?
Cutting	A Cutting is a leaf or stems with some leaves taken from a parent plant and re-potted to grow as a new plant.
Dead Heading	Removing dead flowers from plants- remember that a lot of dead flower heads have seeds in them so, open them up and have a look inside to collect the seeds.
Deciduous	Plants that lose their leaves at the end of the growing season to hibernate for winter.
Dormant period	When a plant naturally stops growing, this usually happens in the winter because it is too cold.
Epiphyte	A plant which does not root into the ground but into trees and rocks.
Family	Groups of plants that are similar to each other belong to families.
Floret	A small flower which makes up a bigger flower.
Grafting	Joining the stem or bud of one plant onto another- Did you know that you can graft Apple tree stems onto a Pear tree? You can also do this with some Cacti.
Hardy	A plant which can handle drops and rises in temperature.
Herb	A plant is grown for flavouring food or medicinal reasons
Herbaceous	A plant with a non-woody stem.
Honeydew	The sticky stuff insects leave on plants.
Hybrid	A cross of two separate plants.
Internode	The stem between the branches of a plant- (see Node)
Loam	Good soil for making Compost, usually made from clay or sand.
Mouth	The open end of a bell-shaped flower, for example, a Fuchsia.
Multicolour	A flower with three or more different colours.
Node	The point on the stem of a plant where the leaf or bud grows from.
Offset	A young plant which sprouts from the parent plant and grows its own roots which feed on the air and dust until they are planted. Good examples of plants that grow offsets are Spider and Strawberry Plants.
Organic	Something that has been recycled from natural sources.
Peat	Peat is partially decomposed Moss that is used to make Compost. Peat is great for plants because it holds a lot of air and water which are vital for the plant to survive.
Perennial	A plant that lives for three or more years.
Petal	The brightest part of the flower, think of the petals as the flowers leaves.
Petiole	A leaf stalk.
Ph	Ph is a measurement of the chemicals in the soil. If the Ph is below 6.5 it is acidic, if it is above 7.5 it is an alkaline soil
Pistil	The female reproductive part of a flower.
Shrub	Woody plant that bushes out rather than growing upwards.
Spore	Some plants do not flower, so they reproduce by spreading Spores, plants such as Ferns do this as well as Mushrooms and other Fungi
Stamen	The Male reproductive part of a Flower.
Strain	A selection of a certain variety of plant.
Sucker	A sucker is a shoot which grows from the underground root and pops up in the soil near the plant, suckers can be taken from the parent and re-potted to grow as a new plant. Lots of plants grow suckers a good example is Aloe Vera
TapRoot	The first root a plant grows, the Taproot is like the plants’ anchor, it grows straight down to support the plant and search for minerals.
Tendril	A tendril is a flexible stem, that plants like Mange Tout use to wrap around and cling to other plants to support themselves.
Terrestrial	A plant which grows in soil.
Transpiration	When a plant loses water through the pores in its leaves.
Tree	A woody plant with a central trunk.