Table 1. General format of tho species profile.
I. Name and plant group

  1. Family

  2. Scientific name

  3. Common name(s)

  4. Major cultivars

genus, species, authority
II. General growth and development

  1. Growth habit

  2. Field i.d. features

  3. Native habitat

    1. range

    2. successional status

    3. plant associations

    4. soils

    5. seasonal precipitation

    6. hardiness

      1. min. temperature

      2. frost tolerance

      3. cold/chilling req’t.

    7. Life-span

      1. nature

      2. landscape

    8. Crown development

      1. height

      2. width

      3. general form

      4. number stems

      5. epicormics?

      6. type branch attachm’t

      7. brittleness of wood

    9. Foliage character

      1. persistence

      2. form/shape

      3. simple/compound

      4. phyllotaxy/arrangement

      5. distribution

    10. Pattern of shoot elongation

      1. period of elongation

      2. relative elongation rate

      3. flushing pattern

      4. terminal bud

    11. Vascular system

      1. xylem character

      2. compartmentalization

      3. bark character

        1. thickness

        2. overall texture

        3. odor

        4. strength

      4. susceptible to hearttrot.

    12. Root system

  1. general character

  2. season of elongation

  3. depth

  4. forms buttress roots?

  5. forms root grafts?

  6. relative windfirmness?

  7. mycorrhizal associations? endo/ecto/ęndecto?

  • tree, shrub, etc. with descriptors field identification characters

  • geographic occurrence early, mid-or late, climax or understory associated vegetation in native habitat typical soils of native habitat pattern of seasonal rain/ snow e.g. winter rain/summer drought

  • absolute low survival temperature sensitivity to spring/fall frost hours or days of cold to meet bud dormancy req’t.

  • normal life-span service life or age when decline can be expected

  • excurrent/decurrent or other terms _ multi-trunk character? latent and/or adventitious shoots along the stem generally weak/strong, U or V shaped

  • deciduous/evergreen; time of emergence; defoliation pattern

  • opposite, alternate, whorled evenly along limbs, clustered at branch end, etc.

  • season of active elongation slow/fast or inches per year one, two or recurrent flushes per year determinate (true terminal) or indeterminate (false terminal)

  • tracheid, ring- or diffuse-porous weak/strong

  • rough/smooth/exfoliating

  • tendency to rip and/or tear?

  • episodic or continuous? shallow/deep; tap/lateral

III. Reproductive development

  1. Primary mode of reproduction

  2. Age to first flower

  3. Bearing frequency

  4. Sexual reproduction

    1. season/timing

    2. structure

    3. terminal/lateral

    4. self/cross-pollinated

    5. mode of pollination

    6. flowers perfect?

    7. monecious/dioecious

  5. Fruit character

    1. type

    2. mature

    3. fruit objectionable?

    4. mode of seed dispersal

  6. Propagation method

  7. Other considerations

  • sexual or asexual e.g. seed vs. basal sprouts length of juvenile period frequency of good seed crops

  • type of flower how are flowers borne? wind/animal wind/animal

  • season of fruit maturation odor, litter, etc. wind/bird/etc. seed, cuttage, grafting, etc.

IV. Culture and management

  1. Relative tolerance

    1. soils

      1. pH range

      2. moisture

        1. overall moisture

        2. inundation

        3. seasonal concerns?

      3. mineral nutrients

      4. alkaline soil

      5. heavy metals

      6. salt

      7. compaction

      8. atmosphere

    2. shade

    3. atmospheric contaminants

      1. ozone

      2. sulfur dioxide

    4. Response to disturbance

      1. mechanical

      2. biological

      3. release

    5. Transplant response

      1. relative ease

      2. season

      3. stock type

    6. Reaction to fire

      1. flammability

      2. response/recovery

    7. Pruning patterns

    8. Common insect problems

    9. Common disease problems

    10. Hazard potential

      1. pattern of failure

      2. summer branch drop?

      3. resp. to snow/ice loading

  • preferred pH range preferred moisture regime wet/dry flooding?

  • specific concerns re:nutrition tolerance to alkaline soils

  • CO2, O2, methane, etc.

  • removal of associates, browsing, etc.

  • seedling/sapling response

  • relative survival rate preferred season for transplanting preferred stock for transplanting

  • entire tree/single branch

V. Values

  1. Wildlife value

    1. habitat

    2. forage

  2. Ornamental features

    1. bark

    2. flowers

    3. fruit

    4. fall color

    5. other

nesting/cover