How to Use a Dichotomous Key: A Poem

Bring your specimens to the table,

A dictionary might also help,

Breathe deep and know you are able.

Look through the scope lenses,

To acquaint yourself with details,

Settle in to use all your senses.

Crack open the dichotomous key,

And read through the descriptions,

Choose one or two, but not three.

Keep making your choices,

Based on what you see,

Listen to the internal voices.

Some results may prove wrong,

But simply backtrack and start again,

Remember failure is what makes you strong.

Try the key a few times more,

And you should find the right name,

Let relief enter into your core.

Identification can turn for the worse,

So if you cannot name your plant,

Use a different source.

Ask a person to show you how,

To help you on your quest,

Giving up is not an option now.

Keep on searching until you find,

A name so true and unique,

Fitting for this plant so one-of-a-kind.

Sit back triumphantly and smile,

Do not forget your love for botany,

Moving on to the next plant in the pile.

Maggie L Gray, 7 November 2015