Local Flora Biol 120, Summer 2015
July 1st-August 24th
Mondays 9am-12:30pm, Wednesdays 9am-1:30pm
OCP Room 220 (class) and 223 (lab)
Instructor: Dr. Vic Landrum (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1997)
Research area: Succulent plant evolution, systematics, and anatomy.
Office Hrs.: before, after class
Eml: jlandrum@olympic.edu
The course:
This course is mostly a field course, with some lab
work/preparation of plant specimens for your
collections. The principles and methods you'll learn in
this course apply to any biological group, not just plants.
I always hope that a field course like this will spark
a lasting curiosity about our natural world in you. For
me, taking field courses truly opened up the world of
biology to me. Lectures and labs can do a lot, but they
can't replace actual field courses.
Enter this course with an open mind and you'll do
well!
Textbooks:
1. Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest,
about $19
2. Trees and Shrubs of Washington State,
about $13
3. Systematic Botany (my free etextbook! In
the ‘Files’ section of Canvas)
4. Recommended: Pojar & MacKinnon Plants
of the Pacific Northwest Coast, about $20.
Objectives
By the end of the course, the student:
1. Be able to identify the major component families
and genera of the flora of western Washington’s
many ecosystems
2. Be exposed to contemporary approaches to determining relationships among plants;
3. Recognize the major ecological biomes present in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.
Grading
There are no formal written exams. Your grade for this course consists of:
(1) plant collection project (800 points [100 plants X 8 points each])
(2) field notebook notes (100 points)
(3) quizzes (5 quizzes X 20 points = 100 points)
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Grading Scale:
4.0 = 100/99%
3.9 = 98/97%
3.8 = 96/95%
3.7 = 94/93%
3.6 = 92%
3.5 = 91%
3.4 = 90%
3.3 = 89%
3.2 = 88%
3.1 = 87%
3.0 = 86%
2.9 = 85%
2.8 = 84%
2.7 = 83%
2.6 = 82%
2.5 = 81%
2.4 = 80%
2.3 = 79%
2.2 = 78%
2.1 = 77%
2.0 = 76%
1.9 = 75%
1.8 = 74%
1.7 = 73%
1.6 = 72%
1.5 = 71%
1.4 = 70%
1.3 = 69%
1.2 = 68%
1.1 = 67%
1.0 = 66/65%
0.9 = 64/63%
0.8 = 62/61%
0.7 = 60%
0.0 = 59% and below
Grades are calculated by multiplying the total number of points by 0.1. This will give you a percentage and from that you
can determine your grade.
A. Plant Collection Project (800 points or 80% of your grade):
As we go through the course, we will visit many different environments. Each environment will have different groups of
plants. We will collect plants that are common to our region. You will be expected to collect 100 plants and identify these
plants down to the genus level; you should be able to identify each down to the species level if possible, but no points are
subtracted if the species identification is incorrect. Each plant specimen is worth 8 points: 3 points for correct family,
3 points for correct genus, and 2 points for presentation and label completion, and family and genus names must
be spelled correctly to receive any credit for those names.
Here’s the best way to prepare your plant collection:
1. Collect your plants. Collect in the field as we go using your plastic collecting bags, or go back later to those sites or
other sites, or, if you travel this summer, collect and press plants from those areas as long as you have proper
permissions, etc.
2. Identify your plants. Use the books, web resources (links at the end of this syllabus) or me to identify your plants.
Don’t be shy about asking for help; that’s my job. I will be there to help you every step of the way in identifying your
plants.
3. Press your plants. After collecting, you need to press your plants. We will press these plants in plant presses. A
plant press consists of two boards, top and bottom, with sandwiches of cardboard, felt, and newspapers on the inside.
The middle of this “sandwich” is the newspaper with your plant lying flat inside. To each side of the newspaper, place
one layer of felt and one layer of cardboard. If you use too many layers of felt or cardboard, the other students won’t
have enough for their presses, so please be aware of how your press is constructed.
4. Mount your plants. After you have identified and pressed your plants, you need to mount these specimens onto
professional herbarium paper. One cheap method is to use glue to anchor the plants to the sheets; we’ll try that and
other techniques, if possible.
5. Box your plant collection. Place your collection in a large cardboard box; if I have any available, I will give them to
you. Copy machine paper boxes are great, but others are fine as well.
6. Turn in your plant collection. Collections are due the last day of class; if late, collections lose 25% each day that they
are late. There is no reason for turning in your collection late; we will have many more than 100 plants available to us
during the course.
7. Every collection will contain a Table of Contents of your 100 plants placed in alphabetical order by family in
the following format:
Plant #
1
2
3
Your field notebook #
35
64
111
Family Names
Apiaceae
Cactaceae
Polemoniaceae
Genus
Apium
Opuntia
Phlox
Your project grade is worth 800 points, and as such, is the major grade in this course. Therefore, you cannot
procrastinate with this collection; you should start collecting the very first field trip.
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Why do we collect plants?
Plant collections are the main components of a herbarium. A herbarium is a collection of identified plants. These
collections serve as a database of climate, diversity, ecology, and DNA for current and future researchers.
Due dates:
August 3rd—the first 50 plants of your collection are due. This helps prevent procrastination and lets me help you
with your collection, if needed.
August 24th—the last 50 plants of your collection are due.
B. Field notebooks (100 points or 10%)—field
notebooks are essential items for any field biologist,
and can often make or break any field research done.
Notebooks receiving full points will be neatly
organized and contain legible notes about the places
and plants we saw. You will have ample time each
field trip to write these notes, so please take
advantage of this time.
 Notebooks are bound journals/composition
books; DO NOT USE SPIRAL OR LOOSE-LEAF
NOTEBOOKS.
 Write with pencil or mechanical pencil—we could
get wet at some point, so inks tend to smear and
blur whereas pencil does not. Use a piece of
string or something similar to anchor the pencil
to the notebook—you’ll appreciate it! 
 Each page in your field notebook = 1 plant that
we see in the field.
C. Quizzes (100 points or 10%)—Quizzes are worth 20 points each, for a total of 100 points. These can help or hurt your
grade, so make sure you take them seriously. Each quiz is independent of the others in terms of topics, and consists of
questions on content in the textbook and from our field talks/trips.
Quiz dates:
 Quiz 1: July 13th
 Quiz 2: July 20th
 Quiz 3: July 27th
 Quiz 4: August 10th
 Quiz 5: August 17th
******I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ALTER THIS SYLLABUS IF WARRANTED.*******
FIELD TRIP RULES
ALWAYS:
1. Please, be on time! Most classes will have a field trip. Most of the time, we’ll meet at the classroom first, perhaps
lecture a bit on what to look for that day, and then head out.
2. You should be physically able to walk one or two miles for this class.
3. Bring your field notebook every day! You must have one by the second class. Don't buy spiral or loose-leaf
notebooks; instead, use one that has a binding. The best size is about half the size of a page of typing paper because
it fits inside your backpack easily. If more than a couple of students forget their notebooks on more than one
occasion, we will start having field quizzes. In the field, it is a good idea to write the name of the plants with quick
sketches of them beside the names. Or, since smartphones with good cameras are common now, you can take a
photo and type or enter the notes by voice recorder, but at some point, this information has to be entered by hand
into your field notebook (if unable to enter by hand, then talk to me so we can come up with a solution).
4. Write in pencil or waterproof ink. You will appreciate this when it rains on us.
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5.
Dress appropriately for fieldwork--I suggest jeans/lightweight pants, long sleeve shirts, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen,
insect repellent, etc. I wear shorts to allow me to find bugs easier and to be cooler, but that choice is up to you.
6. Make sure you don't dehydrate. Sometimes it will be hot, and it will be easy to dehydrate. A bottle of water or
other drink will help; remember to carry your bottles/cans, etc., with you—don’t trash the wilderness.
7. I will often lecture in the field or as we walk. If you can't hear me, then let me know.
8. Listen when I'm introducing the field trip area. If I find students not paying attention or not taking notes, I start
giving field quizzes.
9. Step carefully! Please stay on paths and don't wander afield.
10. Bathrooms are scarce, so plan ahead. But bushes are always available. 
In General: Mondays are more class/lab time, but with some field trips. Wednesdays are for longer field trips,
with time for processing your plants back in the lab room.
Date
Wed. July 1st
Mon. July 6th
Wed. July 8th
Mon. July 13th
Wed. July 15th
Mon. July 20th
Wed. July 22nd
Mon. July 27th
Wed. July 29th
Mon. August 3rd
Topic:
Class 1: Introduction to plants and local ecosystems
 campus walk
 how to press your plants
Class 2: Local non-flowering plants & Flowering plants—How to identify them
 Campus walk on Non-flowering plants
Class 3: Local Field Trip: Poulsbo Fish Park
Class 4: Quiz 1 on previous info from classes 1-3; major Plant Families
Lab Activity: exploring dichotomous keys
Class 5: Local Field Trip: Anderson Landing
Class 6: Quiz 2 (classes 4-5); Plant Families (cont.)
Lab Activity: Exploring leaves
Class 7: Local Field Trip: Scenic Beach State Park
Class 8: Quiz 3 (classes 6-7); Plant Families (cont.)
Lab Activity: creating phylogenetic trees
Class 9: Local Field Trip: Illahee Preserve
Wed. August 12th
Class 10: 1st 50 plants due! Plant Families (cont.)
Lab Activity: Exploring flowers
Class 11: Local Field Trip: Newberry Hill Heritage Park
Class 12: Quiz 4 (classes 8-11); even more plant families!
Lab Activity: Exploring fruits
Class 13: Local Field Trip: Guillemot Cove Park
Mon. August 17th
Wed. August 19th
Class 14: Quiz 5 (classes 12-13); in-class work on plant collection
Class 15: In-class work on plant collection
Mon. August 24th
Plant Collections Due!!
Wed. August 5th
Mon. August 10th
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