LOCATION: Rm. 004, Butler Hall (Next to Heldenfels Hall)

LAB COORDINATOR: Monique Dubrule Reed - Rm. 009, Butler Hall (845-8650)

TEACHING ASSISTANTS:  Shannon Huizar--501and 503 and Hallie Keller--502 and 504
 

TEXT: Walters D. R. and Keil, D. J. 1996. (4^th edition) Vascular Plant Taxonomy (W&K). Lab Handouts--packet #114 and Lab Key--packet #115 from Copy Corner on Texas Ave.

MATERIAL ON RESERVE:  There are review VHS tapes for the lab in the Educational Media Services Department (EdMS), 4th floor, Library Annex.

MATERIALS: You are required to provide your own set of laboratory tools for floral dissections. A basic, minimum kit would include:

• 1 - dissection needle
• 1 - fine-tipped forceps
• 2 - Single-edged razor blades
• 1 - 15 cm ruler
• 1 - 10X or 16X hand lens (essential for field trips. Usually available at MSC)

LAB ATTENDANCE:  Lab attendance is required. Please make every effort to attend your assigned lab section.  If you must miss a lab, please contact Monique, your TA, and the TA whose section you can attend for a make-up, preferably BEFORE you miss it and definitely within 48 hours of the missed lab. No make-ups on missed graded work without a University approved excuse (illness, death, University approved activity.)

PLANT COLLECTION: 20 complete specimens of 20 different species of flowering plants.  These must represent 15 angiosperm families. All material must be collected this semester for this course.  No specimens from cultivated areas.  DO NOT PUT OFF WORKING ON YOUR PLANT COLLECTIONS.  Five specimens will be due during your lab during the week of 17 Oct., but we encourage you to turn these in earlier. These will be graded and returned so you can check your progress.  The final collection  of 20 plants (15 new plants plus the first 5) is due during the week of 21 Nov--by noon on 23 November at the latest (we'd be glad to have them early.) Plant presses will be issued in lab during the second lab period.  Your lab handout packet will have full instructions.

KEY QUIZZES: Short Quizzes will be given during most lab periods, testing your ability to key out any unknown plant using your lab-manual key or one that we will give you. While you cannot study for these, keeping up with the lab, working with your collections, and learning to recognize plant families will help you do well. We will take the best 10.

LAB QUIZZES: There will be at least five unannounced lab quizzes.  These questions will cover topics discussed in lab.  We will take the best 5.
 
 

GRADING:	Lab Practical I	50
	Lab Practical II	50
	Key quizzes	100
	Lab quizzes	50
	Plant Collection	100
	Total:	350

NOTES:

Always bring all text materials (W & K, Lab Handouts, Lab Key) to lab.  This includes lab practicals and field trips. The hand lens is a necessity for the field trips.

To access the course website use 'botany 301' as a search term at the "Quick A&M Web Search" on the TAMU homepage (www.tamu.edu)- the first page listed will be the course home page.  The computer at the back of rm. 004 is there for your use.

Readings are assigned to complement the lab exercises. We strongly encourage you to look this material over BEFORE you come to lab. While we will not cover every family that is in the book, checking to see what the textbook has to say about the families we will be covering in lab will give you a big advantage. We have not assigned the study questions as reading, but the ones that pertain to the families we cover would be useful.

Room 004 will be closed while not in use. However, we want you to have as much access to it as possible, so if you need to get in, just find Monique (rm. 009) and she will be glad to unlock the door for you. There will be no access to room 004 during the lab practical weeks. Instead, a review will be set up elsewhere.

BE PREPARED for field trips. Wear sturdy shoes or boots and long pants; be aware of the sun, the weather, insects, and snakes. A little caution and planning can make the field trips one of the best parts of the course.

KEEP IN MIND: We will be stressing your ability to use a taxonomic key and to identify important families and genera on sight. We assume no prior experience and we EXPECT some problems at the beginning of the semester. Keep up with the labs and make good use of our facilities, materials, and expertise to develop your knowledge and skills.

Plant presses must be returned at the time plant collections are due. Failure to return a press results in a grade of 'Incomplete' and the blocking of fees and registration for the following semester. Grades are restored and blocks removed when the press is returned.

If you have any problems or questions related to the course or lab, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Wilson, Monique Reed, or your T.A. 
 

Last updated August 29, 2005 by MDR