Field Botanist Term of the Day: Symbol

When collecting data on plant species composition, it is ideal to use the scientific name for plants as the common names* can vary by region. The symbol, or sometimes referred to as code, is a short hand way of identifying a plant species.  The USDA symbol is a 4 to 6 alpha-numeric code for each plant species.  These can add to some fun antics in the field, especially after long days in the sun looking down at the same things over and over.  These codes do form words of their own.  For instance, I can say "I've got some HYPE in here" and that just means I found some Hypericum perforatum(St John's Wort). Another one, "It's ASSY over here" meaning Ascpleias syriaca(Common Milkweed) has been found. It is easy to be reduced to giggles in the field when one's brain is fried.  

*Common name use is a huge pet peeve of mine.  I understand their use as a quick and dirty way to relay information, but when a single plant has 5 different common names that overlap with other plant species it can be a real chore to translate what is being discussed.