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Floriculture & Plant Identification in Iowa

Floriculture in Iowa is an agricultural industry that cultivates plants for consumers. Iowa is not listed as a leading floricultural state; however, entrepreneurial floriculturists must still develop excellent plant identification skills to succeed in this industry.

The Industry
- Flowers being grown for retail florists.
  
  According to Iowa State University, most floriculturists in Iowa grow up to several dozen types of flowers. Very few focus on growing a small selection of plants. For those focusing on a smaller selection, plant identification is less important.
Plant Identification Education
- Most growers are entirely self-taught, says Iowa State University. They learn plant identification from books, magazines, the Internet, and other growers.
Fragile Flora Program
- The Iowa Native Plant Society, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa have combined their resources to continue developing the "Fragile Flora" project. This project focuses on identifying the rarest Iowa plants, plus cataloging and preserving Iowa's native species.

Nature