RFP for Plant Description-MP

What's this content for?

The purpose of this writing task is to give the user a first impression of a specific plant, and to make potentially unfamiliar plants more accessible to the average person.

This section of the PictureThis app is the first section that directly refers to the characteristics of the plant, so we want to draw the user in with this first impression. Interesting facts are the top priority. Creating a unique image of the target plant is the key.

Daily usage or industrial value is encouraged; it is an easy way to make the plant stand out in the user’s memory. Utilize basic physical descriptions and measurements only when you cannot find any other information.

IMPORTANT: If you cannot find any interesting information, please refer to the last section of this document entitled “If You Can’t Find Interesting Facts”

Requirement

Writing Guide: https://article.picturethisai.com/writing-guide/

 1. General Requirements:

  • Word Count: each description should consist of around 30-60 words.
  • Avoid Formulaic Expression: try to change the choice of content and expression appropriately, preventing similar content with a similar structure from appearing repeatedly within one working set. For example, one entry can start with the type of plant (The Golden pothos is a very popular houseplant….), and then the next entry can start with a “fun fact” (The Olive tree can live for thousands of years…..)
  • Overly formulaic content (>50% content is written in the same form) will be rejected.
  • Avoid simple listing: including but not limited to geographical distribution, basic physical description, and habitat. Try to use generalized terms, e. g., we should use “Northeast Asia” instead of “Japan, Korea, Inner Mongolia, and Russian Far East”. A simple listing of more than 3 items (countries, habitats, physical description) at one time is NOT ALLOWED.
  • Interesting Facts: each description should consist of 2 or more facts.
  • Balanced: do not let one fact take up too much space.

 2. What is an Interesting Fact?

          2.1 These facts are considered interesting (Dos):

  • Historical use and cultural significance. Connection with local culture is highly recommended.
  • Garden usage and why it is used like this. (for garden plants)
  • Economic value. (for crops)
  • Culinary use. (for crops, vegetables, and spices)
  • Toxicity (including to pets), invasive, and other harms. (but please DO NOT describe symptoms of poisoning or environmental hazards IN DETAIL here, they will be described in other sections)
  • Insect/bird attracting. (e. g., milkweed is the only food for monarch butterflies’ larvae)
  • For wildflowers: in which season and special ecosystem you can find them blooming.
  • The name origin: why it is called this.
  • The similarity to some most common plants and how to distinguish them.
  • Fun facts: e.g. unusually long lifespan; endangered species; famous person discovered it or made it popular; unusual feature, special appearance, or remarkable behaviours—like a flower that is actually a leaf or a dramatic physical change when lighting differs; an alternative common name but only if it has an interesting story; etc….

IMPORTANT: If you cannot find any interesting information, please refer to the last section of this document entitled “If You Can’t Find Interesting Facts”

          2.2 These facts are NOT interesting (OK but Not Suggested):

  • Simply mention the place of origin (but in some limited conditions it will be considered interesting, such as when it is highly invasive and you are chasing its origin; or declare the usage in a native garden, etc.)
  • Morphological description and measurements. (but if it is very uncommon in the plant world, or directly related to its usage, it is a suggested fact.)
  • Flowering and/or fruiting season.

          2.3 Do not mention these pieces of information (Don’ts)

  • Scientific synonym, alternative common name. These names are listed in our system in another section, please DO NOT mention them unless there’s an interesting name story behind it.
  • Taxonomy information (family, genus, etc.) is not interesting to common readers and it can often be wrong (because of the taxonomy system that has changed frequently and recently). Please DO NOT mention it here.
  • Widely cited “NASA Research” supporting the air-cleaning effects of plants is flawed. The air-cleaning efficiency of all the plants is later proven to be too low to be practical. Using any plant to absorb toxic chemicals in your room is not realistic, so please DO NOT mention any air-cleaning effects of plants in this section.
Special Attentions
  • Local information in your country is highly recommended
  • Use common names instead of Latin names whenever possible
  • Italicize any Latin words (other than placeholders) that appear (e.g., genus names, etc.)
  • If you believe that the common name of the writing target is wrong (including singular or plural form), please report it in the link below and we will change it in time.

Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vO4wADpXiyJdfwnO4FWJiu0CL_1etZ4zdxapqGraE2U/edit?usp=sharing

Sample Descriptions

Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)

 

  • Tansy is a fragrant herb that has a scent similar to rosemary 【special character】. It has been cultivated since Ancient Greece【historical】, and its essential oil is still widely used today 【economical usage while avoiding talking about its indications and efficacy in aromatherapy】. But take care: internally taking either tansy or its essential oil is toxic. 【toxicity】

Callistemon citrinus (Crimson bottlebrush)

 

  • Crimson bottlebrush is a shrub commonly found in swamps and near rivers【When and where can you find them】. You can easily recognize this plant by its unique red flowers, shaped like a bottlebrush【special look】, hence it got the name “crimson bottlebrush”【name origin】. The flowers produce sweet nectar which is a source of food for numerous species of birds【wildlife attraction】.

Brassica oleracea (Cabbage)

 

  • Cabbage is an edible vegetable that is popular throughout the world. Culinary dishes such as stir-fries and soup commonly feature the leaves【edible use】. In addition, Cabbage produces edible gold and yellow flowers during spring and summer that attract bees and butterflies【wildlife attraction】. It is one of the older cultivated foods, dating back over 4000 years! 【historical, fun fact】

Syzygium paniculatum (Magenta cherry)

 

  • The Magenta cherry is found exclusively on the coast of New South Wales in Australia 【local information】. The tree produces white flowers that bear small red fruit  【basic info acceptable, because only ONE short sentence, and info on tree is limited 】. The fruit is famously used in Australia to make jam【local cullinary use】. The Magenta cherry is currently classified as endangered 【endangered species】.
If You Can’t Find Interesting Facts

Sometimes you might find only basic information: physical description (with no particularly unique attributes), habitat, geographical distribution, blooming period, etc.

Not to worry. There are some plants that simply do not have any documented interesting facts to share. However, you would be surprised how you can make even a “boring” species stand out in the user’s mind. Here are some tips on how to do that:

  • Double check your search: often you can spend just a minute or two more on google and find something interesting that you missed the first time. Skip to page 4 of the search. You might get lucky!
  • Deeper search: if you double checked your search on google with no success, you can sometimes have luck by looking at the references at the bottom of the articles you have already checked. Even Wikipedia—though not considered by our team to be an authoritative source—will have a “References” section at the bottom of every entry that includes links to authoritative sources (.edu, .org, etc.) that you might not have found in your normal google search.
  • Interesting translation? See if the Latin (or Greek) scientific name is even a little interesting when translated into English.
  • Who discovered or named this species? Don’t be shy, just directly ask google: “Who discovered/named/first documented Crocus tommasinianus?” (remember using the Latin name is always better)
  • Take a look! Search the species under the images tab of google and look at all the photos. Are there any unique characteristics that you see? Does it look like anything else, like an animal or object that could make your description “pop out” to the user? Be creative!
  • Use colorful language and phrasing. Imagine you are an ad copywriter, trying to catch the eye of the reader. You can even address the user directly, for example: “If you spot a flower in the wild that looks like an exotic bird, then lucky you! You may have found a Bird of paradise.”

Keep in mind: these difficult-to-make-interesting entries can take more time. But don’t get too carried away! It would be easy to follow all the above suggestions and take too much time. They are just ideas, tools you can access when you need them.

Please streamline your protocol for these species. Save already complete “uninteresting” species that you did your best to make interesting, so your memory might be jogged in the future. Save a list of authoritative sources that are not typically found in a google search or that are more factually thorough than average.

Don’t force it! If you stretch things a bit too far just to make it interesting, it may come off as fake. If the above tips are not helping you create something you as a reader would find authentically interesting, then provide the basic facts that are available, comment in the CMS “no interesting facts available”, and move on.

[ and remember, when there is no information at all, please check the “no reliable source found” box, and leave the entry blank]