We asked you to tell us what interests you have in botany. Some
people didn't respond, or
answered "none," but many folks listed something. Here is what
you said you wanted
to learn more about:
Ornamentals/Houseplants/Landscape/Gardening...7
Medicinal Plants/Herbs........................6
Taxonomy/Identification/Nomenclature/Origins..5
Native Plants.................................5
General/Plants and People.....................3
Wildlife Habitats/Foods.......................2
Edible Plants/Nutrition.......................2
Aquatic Plants/Wetlands.......................2
Teaching Botany...............................2
Ecology/Conservation..........................2
Rangeland Ecology.............................1
Heirloom Seeds/Ethnobotany....................1
Like trees....................................1
We can recommend books and techniques that can help you learn more about these things within
the BOTN 201 context. What you get out of this course depends on how much you are
willing to
put in. We'll be glad to help you however we can.
Most books mentioned on this page are ones we have. We can also recommend others
the library might have. Just ask your TA or Monique.
ORNAMENTALS/
HOUSEPLANTS/LANDSCAPES/GARDENS
While the focus of this course is wild plants, learning about plant families will help you,
because wild and cultivated members of a family are similar in structure and often in preference
for growing conditions. Monique has a degree in Floriculture, so you can ask her lots of
questions...
Books --We have Hortus III and Tropica. In the lab, we have
Botany for Gardeners.
Monique also has a ton of books and magazines on gardening, ornamentals, veggies,
roses,
landscape design, etc. Just mention what you want, and she'll recommend something... We also
have information about growing many natives in the landscape.
In the Field--Practice sight-identification of families. This will help you learn to recognize
plants in gardens, nurseries, etc. Watch for native plants that might make good landscape
plants.
Plant Collection--Cultivated plants are not allowed, but you might want to
make a
collection of wild relatives of garden plants or a collection of plants you would want in a
landscape.
In Lecture and Lab--Again, learn the families. Each time in lab, you will find a
marked
nursery catalog featuring cultivated members of the families we study. We will also bring in
cultivated plants to show family features. On field trips, we'll talk about
which native plants can
be adapted for home landscapes.
Garden-related Web sites--Monique has a huuuuuge bookmark list for horticulture topics. Some are general references and some pertain to specific plants or families: A sampling of what's available:
MEDICINAL PLANTS/HERBS
Dr. Wilson has included some information on medicinal plants in his lectures, and there is some in
your text. In
addition:
Books--Check out the AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants.
Many plant poisons are also medicines.
Mabberley's Plant Book has lots of notes about medicinal uses. Many floras and manuals
mention medicinal uses for plants.
Tull's A Practical Guide to Edible and Useful Plants has good info. We now have
Kindscher's Medicinal Wild Plants of the
Prairie, which focuses on Native American uses of prairie plants. There is lots of
information out there; you will have to
examine it carefully as not all of it is trustworthy.
In the Field--Look for plants that you know have medicinal value. Learn which ones
grow where. But please, DON'T
dabble in herbal remedies unless you really know what you're doing...
Plant Collection--You might want to put together a collection of medicinal plants, or
else focus on discovering what uses there might be for whatever plants you collect.
In Lab and Lecture--Make an effort to learn about and learn to recognize the
families that tend to have medicinal
properties.
Web sites related to Plant Medicines
An interesting Thesis on folk medicine among native peoples in a remote Oaxacan village
TAXONOMY/PLANT IDENTIFICATION/NOMENCLATURE/ORIGINS
Boy, are you in luck! This is the main thing we deal with--What is that plant? How can I tell it from all the others? Where else does it grow? The whole lab and lecture are geared
toward giving an
understanding of the major families and their distinguishing features. Just by staying awake in
class, you should learn plenty. We will also talk about the origins and distributions of plants--which ones are cosmopolitan, which strictly New World, which Old World, etc.
Books--We have manuals and floras that cover the whole state and
many parts of the U.S. These will help you identify
plants. We also have picture books which will give you an idea of what's out there in a
non-scientific way. If it's classical
taxonomy and learning how to identify plants you want, we have good books on those,
too. Just tell Monique what you want,
and she can steer you in the right direction.
In the Field--Practice sight-identification of major families and genera. Quiz
yourself and your friends. Try to
botanize in as many different places as possible. Make notes, take pictures, draw. Bring back
unknowns to identify.
Plant Collection--You can either collect the unknown plants you want to identify
or put together
a collection of plants that you have learned to identify. Either way, the more you collect and key,
the
better you will be at keying. Eventually, you will develop a feel for plants that helps as
much as
technical knowledge.
In Lab --Really study and learn the key characters for families and genera.
Practice with keys.
Work on getting that "feel" for what's what. Make good use of the lab space and books available.
Taxonomy-related Web sites:
Missouri Botanical Garden's TROPICOS database to learn where a name was published
NATIVE PLANTS
Books--We have a good collection of books on Texas plants--some are picture
books and some are technical keys. We either have or can recommend some good regional floras. For example, Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country by Marshall Enquist is a good reference. We have several books on south Texas plants, prairie plants, and native grasses. Have a look in the lab book cabinet. Monique has lots
of info on growing
wildflowers and using native plants in the landscape.
In the Field--Practice identifying what you see. Take notes, draw, take pictures,
bring things in to identify. Visit
as many different habitats as possible and learn what's in them.
Plant Collection--Whatever you collect and key will teach you something. There is
so much out there that you might
want to focus on the plants that interest you most.
In Lecture and Lab--Stay awake! You can learn a lot just from the examples.
Many of our lecture examples and quite
a lot of our lab dissection materials are native plants. Key quizzes will be fresh, local
material--usually wild. The field trips
will be all about local wildflowers and plants. This is where the knowledge can really add
up.
Web sites related to Native Plants
GENERAL/PLANTS AND PEOPLE
You are going to learn so much general stuff and soooo much plant trivia this semester that you will be amazed. Have a look at Mabberley's The Plant Book--there is something fun on every page. Also try talking to Monique. She is a veritable fountain of bizarre and esoteric information...
If we say something this semester that piques your curiosity, let us know. We'll be glad to steer you in a direction to find out what you need to know.
You might also look into taking Botany 328--Plants and People, offered in the fall semesters and sometimes in the summer.
WILDLIFE HABITATS/FOODS
Books--We have two books specifically about wildlife habitats,
the Eastern and Western volumes of Field Guide to
Wildlife Habitats by Benyus. Try Imes' The Practical Botanist for
an overview of plants in the environment and different types
of habitats. In addition, many of the keys and manuals have notes about each plant's usefulness
to wildlife. For example,
Elias' The Complete Trees of North America goes into great detail, Correll & Johnston's
Manual of the Vascular Plants of
Texas often has info, and Monique's black key also includes wildlife food uses. In addition,
we have several general books
on ecology and plant habitats.
In the Field--Pay attention to what animals eat and
where they live. Collect and identify samples of plants that they
use. Visit and study the habitats and ecosystems that interest you most. Be curious. Take notes,
draw, collect, take photos.
You may want to look into Outdoor Rec trips or go somewhere neat to collect. Whenever
possible, go out in the field with
someone who knows the environment and ask lots of questions.
Plant Collection--You might want to make your collection from just one or two
locations that represent ecosystems
you want to know more about. Conversely, you might want to make it as broadly-based as
possible. Either way, look at what's
around you when you're out collecting. If you are interested in wildlife, you can try 1) collecting
plants that you know are used
by wildlife and 2) reading to determine if other plants you collect have uses you didn't know
about.
In Lab and Lecture--Listen. Little bits about animal ecology find their way into lecture.
On field trips,
we'll talk a lot about important
different plant communities and ecosystems. Learn about the major families and what their
presence tells you about a habitat
or community. When we go on field trips, we will mention some plants that animals eat (such as
grapes, acorns, hawthorn
fruits, etc.), and we will talk about what animals can be found locally. Ask
questions!
Websites Related To Wildlife:
EDIBLE PLANTS/NUTRITION
Books--One of the best for Texas is Tull's A Practical Guide to Edible and
Useful Plants.
We also have Kindscher's Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie and the Medves' Edible
Wild Plants of Pennsylvania.
In addition, many keys and manuals have information about edibility listed for each plant. You
may also want to look at the
AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants to learn what not to eat.
In the Field--Be on the lookout for edible plants. Please eat only what
you KNOW is safe and can positively identify.
Don't try too many new things at once. If something is rare, don't harvest too much. Keep
notes!!!
Plant Collection--It would be a challenge to make a collection of only edible plants,
but it could be done and probably
would be fun. Or, you might want to concentrate on learning if any of the plants you collect are
edible.
In Lecture and Lab--In lecture, much will be made of the major food families. On
the lab field trips,
we will look
at (and try!) some of the local wild edibles. Ask lots of questions--and get
Monique's Rumex soup
recipe...
Other Links
AQUATIC PLANTS/MARSHES/WETLANDS
Books--We have two good sets of books on aquatic and wetland plants (including coastal)--one set for the Southeast,
and one for the Southwest. Both have good illustrations. We also have the Flora of the TX Coastal Bendand Plants of
Southernmost TX, both of which are useful. Correll and Johnston does cover the coast. We also have books on tidal marsh
plants. We have access to some government publications, too. The botany staff has done a lot of bog-trotting in the last couple
of years, so we can be of more help with wetland plants now than ever.
In the Field/Plant Collection--You are welcome to collect aquatic and marine angiosperms. Be aware of two things,
however. 1--There are cultivated plants that occasionally escape along the coast--these may not be keyable. 2--In the damp
environments, things take longer to dry. There are special techniques for collecting floating plants--ask Monique to show you.
In Lecture/Lab--Keep an eye out for families which have aquatic members or which are salt-tolerant or
otherwise adapted to aquatic or marine life.
Aquatic Plant and Water-Gardening Web Sites
TEACHING BOTANY
This course will introduce you to various teaching tools--dissection work, field trips, lectures, videos, slides, plant collection, and the Internet. You will also try several types of exams and quizzes. The teaching techniques we use on you this semester may help you define what sort of teaching style you want to adopt.
Books--One of the best all-around books is Imes' Practical Botanist, which is available for you to read in lab. It's still in print, so you may want to invest in a copy.
Plant Collection--
If you would like to keep your plant collection to start your own teaching collection, you are certainly welcome to do so. You might want to focus on large, common families that will be present wherever you end up teaching.
Websites
There are lots of good teaching websites out there. We like to think our Lab Tutorials and our on-line Lecture Notes are good examples. There are also lots of possibilities for interactive web-pages such as the Click-A-Fruit tutorial.
ECOLOGY/HABITATS/CONSERVATION
We will definitely talk about ecology and conservation in this class!
Books--A number of the books listed under "Wildlife" (above) might be of interest. If it is books about the floras of different regions you are interested in, just let us know what part of the country (or world!) you're interested in and we'll point you in the right direction.
In the Field--Learn to look at where you are: what type of ecosystem, what type of land use, etc. In the local environment, you can explore the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie regimes. You may also find bogs, outcrops, and agricultural areas.
Plant Collection--You might want to collect from one type of habitat that interests you most, or you might want to get plants from as many different ecosystems as possible. If you decided to collect out of state, let us know as soon as possible so we can start tracking down the best flora for you to use for identification.
In Lecture and Lab--Keep your ears perked up, because we will be talking about ecology and floras. When we take the field trip, we'll have a chance to see succession first hand and to explore several distinct ecosystems.
Ecology- and Flora-related Web Sites
RANGELAND ECOLOGY
Books--We have North American Range Plants, a good guide to some of
the more important plants. Some of the keys,
such as the Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas and Grasses of Texas have
information about livestock uses for each plant.
One of our weed books goes into detail about which plants are harmful or useful for stock and
which plants will take over and
ruin a good pasture.
In the Field--Watch what stock eat, and what they avoid. Make notes, draw, take
pictures. Practice sight-identifying
important range plant families such as grasses and legumes. Bring unknowns back to the lab to
key them.
Plant Collection--You might want to make a collection of just range plants--useful or
harmful. Collect plants that
interest you.
In Lecture and Lab-Pay special attention to important families like grasses and legumes.
On the field trip,
we will
see and talk about what happens to overgrazed pastures and how ungrazed pastures go back to
prairie and forest.
Web sites related to Livestock and Range Plants
Heirloom Seeds/Ethnobotany
It is always interesting to learn what uses our forefathers made of plants, and to learn about plants that may no longer exist.
Books--Dr. Wilson has lots of information on Quinoa, a pseudo-cereal much used by the natives of the Andes, and on domesticated cucurbits. We have book on exotic grain crops of Africa, and lots of seed catalogs.
In Lab and Lecture--We will have some discussion of crop plants in lecture and lab. Expect information on grains, legumes, pseudo-cereals, and different fruits.
In the Field--Ask questions and talk to "old timers"--find out which plants have traditional uses.
Web sites of interest
LIKE TREES
We like trees, too. In fact, one of the teaching staff (we won't say who) wanted to be a tree when s/he was little because, "trees are nicer than people." You will meet a lot of trees in the class, learn about their families, their uses, and their ecology.
Our favorite tree link is the Tree Circus.
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Last updated by Monique Dubrule Reed on September February 2, 1997
