Biology 241: Plant Taxonomy


Redbuds near the Mississippi River
Course Syllabus

Send a message to John Horn at HornJohnC@sau.edu
Back to home pages of John Horn and St. Ambrose University

Last updated August 23, 2007

Course Syllabus

Course Description

This is a basic course in plant classification with emphasis on the field identification of Midwestern vascular plants and characteristics of North American plant families. Some background on plant classification in general will also be provided.

Course Objectives

  1. Develop a vocabulary for describing the details of external plant structures, especially flowers and leaves.
  2. Identify the common vascular plants of the Midwest.
  3. Learn the characteristics of major North American plant families.
  4. Develop skills in field observation and identification using manuals, field guides, and keys.
  5. Learn the history and theory of plant classification.

Required Texts

Attendance Policy

Your regular attendance is important to me, to you, and to your fellow students. This course is a joint venture between me and you, and I expect you to be as committed to the class as I am. There will be a considerable amount of content in this class; if you fall behind it will be very difficult to catch up. Laboratories, in particular, cannot be made up, because much of the field work will consist of plant identification.

Course Schedule

Attached is a daily schedule for the classroom part of the course. For the first four weeks, reading materials will either be handed out in class or put on reserve in the library. During the remainder of the course the distinguishing characteristics of the main plant families in North America will be examined.
WE WILL BE IN THE FIELD EVERY LAB DAY unless it is pouring at the time of lab. Wear appropriate clothing for field labs: comfortable shoes that can afford to get muddy, and long, but not fuzzy, pants. (Long pants protect against stinging nettle, mosquitoes, and poison ivy. Fuzzy pants, like sweats, will pick up countless dispersing seeds.) As it gets colder, keep in mind that the temperature is lower in the field than on campus. It is better to wear too much and take it off than to freeze for three hours.

Evaluation

  • For the exams, numerical grades will have the following letter equivalents:
    A 90-100%
    B+ 85-89
    B 80-84
    C+ 75-79
    C 65-74
    D 55-64
    F below 55

    Course Schedule

    Readings: Supplemental materials will be handed out or put on reserve for the first four weeks. For the remainder, plant families can be located in Baumgardt under alphabetical order.
    DATE TOPIC
    27 Aug Introduction & Memory Check
    29 Flowers
    31 Fruits and Floral Formulas
    3 Sep No class or lab (Labor Day)
    5 Shoots
    7 Leaves
    10 Nomenclature
    12 History of Plant Classification
    14 Methods of Plant Classification
    17 More Methods
    19 Natural vs. Artificial Classification
    21 What is a "Primitive" Plant?
    24 EXAM #1: Plant Structures and Classification
    26 Ferns and Fern "Allies
    28 No class or lab
    1 Oct Ginkgo, Yews, Conifers
    3 Magnoliidae: Magnolias, Water Lilies, Buttercups
    5 No class or lab (Presidential Inauguration)
    8 Hamamelidae I: Elms, Mulberries
    10 Hamamelidae II: Nettles, Walnuts & Hickories
    12 Hamamelidae III: Birches, Beech & Oaks
    15 Caryophyllidae I: Pinks, Amaranths
    17 Caryophyllidae II: Chenopods, Purslanes
    19 No class or lab (Midterm Break)
    22 EXAM #2: Ferns through Portulacaceae
    24 Caryophyllidae III: Cacti, Buckwheat Family
    26 Dilleniidae I: Mallows, Lindens, Violets
    29 Dilleniidae II: Cucumbers, Willows
    31 Dilleniidae III: Mustards, Heaths
    2 Nov No class or lab
    5 Rosidae I: Rose Family
    7 Rosidae II: Legumes, Dogwoods, Geraniums
    9 Rosidae III: Maples, Euphorbias, Carrot/Parsley Family
    12 EXAM #3: Cactaceae through Umbelliferae
    14 Asteridae I: Milkweeds
    16 Asteridae II: Nightshades, Mints
    19 Asteridae III: Scroph, Olive Families
    26 Asteridae III: Composites
    28 Monocots I: Rushes and Sedges
    30 Monocots II: Grasses
    3 Dec Monocots III: Palms, Aroids
    5 Monocots IV: Lilies, Irises
    7 Monocots V: Orchids
    EXAM #4 on Asteridae and Monocots on Monday, December 10 at 10:00 a.m.