From the FAQ at the top of this page... What details should I include for plant identification? Pictures are great, but also include the following details: Location: where is the plant physically located - details like city, state, and country are important; if you donâÂÂt want to say specifically where you live then something like âÂÂin the Atlanta areaâ to give some general idea. Please donâÂÂt just say âÂÂzone 6â or âÂÂmy sisterâÂÂs houseâÂÂ, that is not enough! Inside plant (house plant) or outside plant? Garden vs. wild: is this plant growing in a garden or does it seem like someone planted it originally? Is it a wild plant, growing in forest, a nature preserve, on the side of the road? Is the plant in a special environment like a bog or a wetland? Type of plant: for outside plants, does this seem to be a woody plant like a tree or a shrub or more of an herbaceous plant that will die to the ground come winter? Does it seem like a vine? Have you seen any special characteristics like thorns, fruits or seeds? Look at the back of the leaf - is it colored, hairy or smooth? Physical characteristics: is it evergreen or deciduous (does it keep itâÂÂs leaves or lose them in the winter)? How are the leaves arranged - are they opposite one another or alternate along the stem? If itâÂÂs a tree, can you describe the bark? Are the stems hairy or smooth ? What is the size/height of the plant? Do the leaves have a distinctive smell if you rub or crush them? Flowers: have you ever seen flowers and if so can you describe them? What color, how many petals, are they fragrant, growing in clusters or singly? What time of year does it flower? Fruit/seeds: have you seen any and can you describe it? Please donâÂÂt taste any unknown fruit!

Thanks for the replies, "....There are Parrotias at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden." Your talking about the one in Federal Way? I was thinking to go and look at some gardens for inspiration and was planning on visiting gardens near Seattle. So, that one would be one the way. :) Larry, I went to check out the Tanyoshu Pine yesterday. Thank You for letting me know where to find one. NE 39th and Couch in PDX. A little too big perhaps, but very, very impressive. I will have to see what my wife thinks... Thank You All, Mike Here is a link that might be useful: Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden

If you're wanting to ID plantation forestry species or amenity species (eg eucalypts or deciduous species) you might find it helpful to contact your local farm forestry people or Tree Crops Association, and go prepared with plant material/photographs and info on the location. If the plants are on your property that will probably cause you few problems. Another possible source for tree ID is to call a logging contractor. They can usually tell the difference between Douglas fir and spruce..;-D. It could be part of establishing your baseline property values - and arranging for pruning/thinning to get the best return on your timber crops. If they're not indigneous species - and you're a confident photographer - try using the 'Name That Plant!' forum on the main listing. If you check it out first you'll quickly see the photographs that help the plant sleuths - and the ones that cause severe head-scratching...

It's not unusual for nurseries to get names wrong, plants sometimes come from their suppliers with a wrong name also. But there are"names" and there are "names". Sometimes plant dealers, to make their plants seem unique, give them a name. They are the only supplier, under that name. So the name means nothing, it's just a marketing ploy (think back to the story of Kiwi Fruit, in actual fact Chinese Gooseberry). Then sometimes some dealers get hold of a plant that looks extra good and they clone it so they have exact genetic copies. They can register that with another name, and get a patent on it. One interesting case is the plant sometimes referred to as Alocasia "Hilo Beauty". An American (professional) plant collector found it in South America. Not being a botanist, not knowing that Alocasia only occured in Asia through to Australia, and not really knowing what an Alocasia looked like, he decided it must be an Alocasia. To make it more marketable it need to come from Hawaii, so he called it Alocasia "Hilo Beauty". There were people who realised it wasn't an Alocasia but thought it must be a Colocasia, you get those in Hawaii (the Polynesians took them there). When the scientific examination was done, turns out it was a Caladium, a South American genus. But there are those who refuse to accept its non-Hawaiian status and say it only botanists trying to change things around again. You need to realise that when you're speaking in scientific terms it's very precise. But when you're dealing with marketing, well ... then it's Raffety's Rules, anything goes. Scientific names are regulated quite strictly. There are set rules for naming as well as for later changing names. The centre point for those records is Kew Gardens. They work in with botanic gardens and institutions from around the world. It keeps a tight lid on things when it's all kept under the one roof, so to speak.