Botany Classes

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.


July

Have you ever wondered why a strawberry is not considered a berry, but a tomato is? Or what part of a plant is celery? Dig deeper into the histories of common fruits and vegetables and explore the science behind the more...
261BOT293 07/24 Th 6:00pm-7:30pm Lorenzetti
NYBG

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.
261BOT308AO 07/28 Mo 6:00pm-8:00pm Holmes
ONLINE

August

Discover the many herbs and spices prized for centuries to heal, to revitalize the immune system, and to treat and prevent asthma, insomnia, flu, and more.
261BOT346O 08/04 Mo 10:00am-12:00pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

Take a fascinating look at the unseen forces that shape our green world. Using NYBG collections as a living lab, you'll discover the remarkable ways plants interact with their environment-from keeping cool in the desert to staying dry in the more...
261BOT355 08/07 Th 10:00am-12:00pm Borsuk
NYBG

Explore these two beautiful and intriguing groups of herbaceous plants. NYBG's Director of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium Dr. Emily Sessa will take you through the basic aspects of ferns and lycophytes. Gain an understanding of their form and more...
261BOT360 08/08 Fr 10:00am-1:00pm Sessa
NYBG

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.
261BOT308BO 08/10 Su 10:00am-12:00pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE

The centuries-old botanical history of aperitifs and digestifs, from Chartreuse to Fernet Branca, stems in part from a monastic quest to divine an "elixir of longlife." Many cultures still commonly consume these herbal drinks, made of complex mixtures of plant more...
261CKG203 08/10 Su 2:00pm-4:00pm Arbor
NYBG

Chanterelles, Milk Caps, Black Trumpets, Boletes of all kinds, and many other choice edibles make their appearance in the steamy summer months. Learn how to sort through this abundance with hands-on techniques and observations.
261BOT356 08/14 Th 10:00am-1:00pm Sadowski
NYBG

September

Learn how to analyze the diversity of fruits and seeds, along with their dispersal mechanisms. By doing so, you'll reveal a fascinating aspect of plant biology and better understand the critical role that plants play in their ecosystems.
261BOT342O 09/02 Tu 10:00am-12:00pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

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...
261BOT315BO 09/07 Su 10:00am-1:00pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

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.
261BOT308CO 09/11 Th 5:30pm-7:30pm Holmes
ONLINE

Explore the myriad structures and diverse life cycles of plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria. Discover how and why scientists have divided and classified these organisms.
261BOT317O 09/18 Th 6:00pm-9:00pm Alvarez
ONLINE

In autumn our native Northeast flora can be spectacular, but difficult to identify. With a 10X power hand lens and a plant key, you'll learn to identify these wildflowers, shrubs, and trees on the Garden grounds.
261BOT331 09/18 Th 10:00am-1:00pm Slowik
NYBG

Paleobotany, the study of plant evolution through fossil evidence, gives us insights into Earth's flora, past and present. In this class, you'll learn about the evolution of plants—from when life first emerged from the ocean to modern day trees and more...
261BOT434O 09/20 Sa 10:00am-12:00pm Paradiso
ONLINE

October

In autumn our native Northeast flora can be spectacular, but difficult to identify. With a 10X power hand lens and a plant key, you'll learn to identify these wildflowers, shrubs, and trees on the Garden grounds.
262BOT331 10/04 Sa 10:00am-1:00pm Slowik
NYBG

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.
262BOT308AO 10/19 Su 10:00am-12:00pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE

In NYC, fall is the best time to hunt for edible fungi. Paul Sadowski, 25-year veteran of the NY Mycological Society, will lead a mushroom hunt, and show you how to identify many species and their look-alikes, where to find more...
262BOT368 10/25 Sa 10:00am-1:00pm Sadowski
NYBG

Join Neil Pederson, Ph.D., professor and senior ecologist at the Harvard Forest, for this interactive workshop on what tree rings can teach us about the ways ecosystems respond to climate change. Old trees hold precious information about climate, precipitation levels, more...
262BOT397 10/26 Su 11:00am-1:00pm Pederson
NYBG

November

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.
262BOT308BO 11/05 We 6:00pm-8:00pm Holmes
ONLINE

January

Discover the many herbs and spices prized for centuries to heal, to revitalize the immune system, and to treat and prevent asthma, insomnia, flu, and more.
263BOT346AO 01/03 Sa 11:00am-1:00pm Candee
ONLINE

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.
263BOT308CO 01/15 Th 5:30pm-7:30pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE

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.
263BOT332 01/15 Th 10:00am-1:00pm Slowik
NYBG

February

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.
263BOT308DO 02/12 Th 5:30pm-7:30pm Holmes
ONLINE

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...
263BOT313 02/12 Th 10:00am-1:00pm Howland
NYBG

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...
263BOT349O 02/24 Tu 6:00pm-7:30pm Michelotti
ONLINE

Historical bartenders and modern mixologists have long used a great variety of herbal and botanical ingredients to add flavor, body, and visual flair to drinks. Go beyond the garnish to explore the world of oleo-saccharums, infusions, simple syrups, and tinctures more...
263CKG240O 02/26 Th 6:00pm-9:00pm Freeman
ONLINE

March

Discover the many herbs and spices prized for centuries to heal, to revitalize the immune system, and to treat and prevent asthma, insomnia, flu, and more.
263BOT346BO 03/07 Sa 11:00am-1:00pm Candee
ONLINE

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.
263BOT308EO 03/13 Fr 11:00am-1:00pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE

We will cover the role of plant hormones in growth and development, as well as plant movement, water transport through the plant body, and plant metabolism, including photosynthesis and respiration (anaerobic and aerobic).
263BOT316 03/18 We 4:00pm-7:00pm Alvarez
NYBG

Why do some species have smooth bark, while on others it is thick and broken? Why does bark peel? The traits typically used to describe trees—leaves, twigs, and buds—are often hard to see or seasonally absent. Bark, on the other more...
263BOT426 03/21 Sa 10:30am-3:30pm Wojtech
NYBG

Discover how fungi are being used to degrade pollutants and clean up the environment by filtering water, removing heavy metals from soil, remediating microbes, and breaking down plastics. Mycologist John Michelotti will discuss current mycoremediation efforts around the world—including his more...
263BOT298O 03/24 Tu 11:00am-1:00pm Michelotti
ONLINE