What do you put if you aren’t sure if a plant is wild? For example, I’ve found plants that might have been cultivated at some point but they might have been abandoned. On public land, i see some specimens that may or may not be cared for. Should I check cultivated?

Not Wild on iNat does not mean ‘cared for’ despite the fact that they call it Cultivated. If you think it was planted by someone = Not Wild If it is a seedling from the original plant = Wild

A recently submitted Ginkgo biloba observation is interesting in this regard. When observed, the photographed specimen was a seed beginning to sprout. I have often seen such seeds sprouting to produce naturalized seedlings under and near cultivated female Ginkgo biloba trees in botanical gardens and…

[image] freeangelrn: What do you put if you aren’t sure if a plant is wild? In some cases it can be rather hard to be sure. [image] freeangelrn: For example, I’ve found plants that might have been cultivated at some point but they might have been abandoned. They are still cultivated o…

[image] Italopithecus: Sometimes it is a matter of probability. This is the aspect that will occasionally make decisions on “wild” or “not wild” difficult. Here are a couple of examples that illustrate the issue I’ve faced on public lands: a. At the national wildlife refuge where I worked f…

As someone who deals with border cases a lot, here are my steps. First, is that species known to be wild, naturalized or otherwise escape? Secondly, do the circumstances rule out planting to your best knowledge? A good majority of these cases pass these two rules right away. It is usually fairly c…

The much-(dis)cussed American Sweetgum tree in a yard in Laguna Beach, Orange Co., CA, illustrates the many nuances of these decisions. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/111340408

Thanks for breaking down the decision process! As a non-expert, I find it very helpful. My conundrum yesterday was that I stumbled upon what seemed to be old greenhouses on a university campus. There were many interesting plants, and some had those little placards so that visitors could read the pl…

I would call those Not Wild. And make a copypasta for the background you have given us here - to use as a note on each obs. Ideally you want to pre-empt unnecessary argument about - is it - or not - Wild. Identifiers can only work with what you give us. The information in the photos, and the accom…

The wall of text is not necessary, or even off-putting. Still pre-emptive info is key here. A one-liner like “Growing in disused greenhouse area, possibly cultivated at some point” under the ID, check “Cultivated”… done.

Cultivated, Wild, Escaped, Unsure?

General

GeolTel December 31, 2023, 11:20am 3

Also see the peculiar definitions at https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/help#captive

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Cultivated, Wild, Escaped, Unsure?

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