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7 The purpose of this local field guide is to aid in the identification of and spark an interest in the 384 plants highlighted herein, which grow within the five most popular Olmsted Parks: Cherokee, Seneca, Iroquois, Shawnee, and Chickasaw . Located within the city limits, these signature parks together total roughly 1,990 acres. Although this book in no way contains every plant found in these parks, it does consist of a broad sampling of species that may be encountered while hiking the many trails and walking paths. Trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, ferns, invasives, wetland plants, weeds, and grasses are included. Learning how to identify and name the plants growing in one’s local surroundings forms the basis for our “roots,” our sense of place and what we learn to value. This, in turn, leads to a greater awareness of and appreciation for the plants in each of these unique urban green spaces as well as provides hours of outdoor enjoyment. The rich history of these beloved Olmsted Parks defines us as Louisvillians: it is part of our heritage , our past. My goal is to reward the reader with the thrill of discovering the fascinating world of plants, and I hope that this in turn will stimulate interest in future studies to document the flora in conjunction with preserving the artistic legacy of this great landscape for generations to come. How to Use This Guide This book is arranged in four parts. (1) Fern and fern allies (seedless vascular plants) are presented in the first small section of the book. (2) The second section contains the bulk of the species, or those with recognizable flowers. Here are found the herbaceous plants, woody vines, and shrubs. These are arranged by flower color, then flowering season, and within season, alphabetically by family. About This Book PATRICIA DALTON HARAGAN 8 TheOlmsted Parks of Louisville It must be noted that color and season often are not clear-cut categories. For example, many flowers given in a color section have strong tinges of another color. If a plant is not found in one section, the reader is urged to look for it in a closely related color category, and likewise with seasons. (3) The third section consists of trees. Because their flowers are often inconspicuous, they are organized by leaf type, first separating the evergreen conifers from the deciduous broadleaf trees. The latter much larger group is further divided first by leaf arrangement and then by leaves—simple or compound—and alphabetically by family within the groups. (4) The last section contains the grasses, sedges, and rushes and is arranged alphabetically by scientific name. Many of the entries in this book appear on a single page and consist of a detailed description written with the nonprofessional botanist in mind. For an easier approach, go directly to the “Key Features” heading. It contains a few characters that highlight the species for quick identification. However, if more than one species is included on the page, then only a few distinguishing characteristics will be given for the second entry, with contrasting characters in bold print. Most of the species are coupled with color photographs that enhance and magnify the detailed descriptions . One goal of this book is that the user will “grow” into this field guide. It is in no way a technical manual, although some technical terms exist in the descriptions . Over time, and with use, the reader will eventually learn the meaning of a “disk floret” or “obovate” leaf blade. This way the reader can keep adding to his or her botanical knowledge by simple observation. Using and understanding the technical language also adds consistency and precision to the task of describing species and learning to separate one from another. The entries in each of the four sections all follow the same format. At the very top of the page are abbreviations for the parks: Cher = Cherokee Park Sen = Seneca Park Iroq = Iroquois Park Shaw = Shawnee Park Chick = Chickasaw Park This information will help the reader when exploring the different parks. Many species are found throughout all the parks, and some only in one or two. The common name of each plant and its family are followed by its scientific name. I have adhered to scientific names used in the state’s only comprehensive botanical manual, Plant Life of Kentucky: An Illustrated Guide to the Vascular Flora (Jones 2005). This work has become the standard botanical text for the [13.58.112.1] Project MUSE (2024...

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