Do you have a desire to be closer to nature? Take a botany class and gain a deeper understanding of how plants connect us to the natural world. Botanical studies explore all aspects of plant growth and development, plant communities, and the role of plants in ecosystems. At the everyday level, botany can be your gateway to herbal healing, foraging for wild edibles, cross-cultural understanding, or just a deeper appreciation of nature's seasonal beauty.
Click here for an overview of the Certificate Program.
Discover how trees communicate via chemical signals in the air (to warn of insect attacks) and transfer nutrients to one another through complex underground fungal networks (sometimes to assist sick trees).
This is the class for plant-lovers eager to up their game! Learn the terminology and basic botanical nomenclature that will help you recognize and describe key differences in common plants.
In class and in forays around the Garden, you'll learn to recognize the winter characteristics of native and common woody plants by bud types, leaf scars, fruit remnants, and other distinguishing marks.
Botanical
Latin
is
essential
for
anyone
with
a
serious
interest
in
identifying
plants.
But,
contrary
to
popular
belief,
mastering
Latin
plant
names
need
not
be
intimidating
or
boring.
Review
the
rules
of
taxonomy,
Latin
grammar,
and
pronunciation,
and
learn
the
more...
Get
a
solid
grounding
in
the
basic
plant
body-from
the
cell
to
the
roots,
stems,
leaves,
flowers,
and
fruit.
We'll
use
dissecting
and
compound
light
microscopes
to
observe
plant
anatomy,
then
introduce
the
base-level
chemistry
required
to
understand
the
world
more...
This is the class for plant-lovers eager to up their game! Learn the terminology and basic botanical nomenclature that will help you recognize and describe key differences in common plants.
Among
Earth's
most
amazing
and
oldest
living
organisms,
lichens
grow
on
bark,
rock,
and
barren
soil.
They
thrive
in
rain
forests,
deserts,
the
arctic-even
environments
simulating
Mars!
Lichens
are
sensitive
environmental
indicators,
yet
scientists
are
only
just
beginning
to
understand
more...
Discover
the
fascinating
world
beneath
the
soil
by
exploring
the
botanical
intricacies
of
geophytes—commonly
known
as
"earth
plants".
From
the
layered
architecture
of
bulbs
and
tubers
(such
as
tulips
and
potatoes)
to
the
stealthy
spread
of
rhizomes
(think
ginger
or
more...
Scientists
have
engineered
so
many
new
products
from
mycelium
that
Scientific
American
heralds
the
dawn
of
the
"Mycelium
Revolution"
and
Harper's
Bazaar
dubs
fungi
"The
Future
of
Fashion."
Explore
how
scientists
have
harnessed
mycelium's
ability
to
create
complex
structures
that
more...