Science and Mathematics Department
BIO 200: LOCAL FLORA
MAY TERM 2012
COURSE OVERVIEW AND CONTEXT (Catalog description)
BIO 200. Local Flora. (3) A study of plants which collectively form the spring or summer flora of South
Carolina. Work will emphasize an understanding of flower parts, plant families, and methods of using
taxonomic keys to identify plants to scientific name. Included will be information on common names,
ecology and economic importance of these plants. Extensive field trips within the piedmont region of the
state will be an important component of the course. Offered only during summer terms.
Local Flora is designed for both biology and non-science students who are interested in the plants of
South Carolina that are flowering in May. It may count for part D-3 of the Core Curriculum, and toward
the biology major as an elective. The course carries 3 credit hours. Further …
Numerous persons are always interested in the simple question of "what is this plant?" This course will
offer the technical background for any person to find and use the resources available to identify
essentially any plant that grows in the piedmont of South Carolina. In addition, the technical information
learned in the course will be indispensable for students of botany who move to other parts of the state (or
planet) and wish to known the plants of that area.
The Course website is located at http://www.newberry-college.net/chorn/BIO200/index.htm. The site
includes this syllabus, lecture notes, review sheets and other materials of value to the course.
INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Charles N. Horn
Office: 223 Math & Science Building
Phone: 321-5257
E-mail: charles.horn@newberry.edu
Hours: M-Th 11:15-12:00; by appointment
You are encouraged to stop in during my office hours to talk about any problems or to present
suggestions relative to this course, about science, or the college in general. If you want to talk to me and
find the scheduled hours to be inconvenient, feel free to schedule an appointment.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOs) & PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES (PLOs)
Newberry College is committed to monitoring student learning for continual program improvement. This
class has course-level student learning outcomes (SLOs listed below) which are aligned to overall
program learning outcomes (PLO alignment indicated in parentheses below). By the end of this course
you should be able to:
 Describe the morphological features of a plant using appropriate scientific terminology.
 Properly collect, press, and dry a collection of plants.
 Use taxonomic keys and herbarium resources to identify plants to species.
 Develop proper labels to record information on a plant's collection and identification.
 Identify on sight plants of the families Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Cyperaceae, Juncaceae,
Lamiaceae, and Poaceae
Local Flora syllabus, p. 2
RESOURCES
Radford, Albert, Harry Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
Radford, Albert, William C. Dickison, Jimmy R. Massey, and C. Ritchie Bell. 1974. Vascular Plant
Systematics. Harper & Row, Publishers, New York.
Jones, Sammuel B., Jr., and Arlene E. Luchsinger. 1979. Plant Systematics. McGraw-Hill Book
Company, New York.
Lawrence, George. 1955. An Introduction to Plant Taxonomy. Macmillan Publishing Co., New York.
Weakley, Alan. 2011. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina
Herbarium, Chapel Hill, NC.
NOTE: These books do not need to be purchased, and at least portions will be available for use in the
classroom and laboratory.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
During the first week of the course information will be presented on plant structure, identification and
methods of plant collection. Subsequently time will be spent each day a short introduction to specific
plant families and subsequently on field trips to collect and process plant specimens. Since the emphasis
of the course will be on laboratory methods, field trips will be an important part of the class
COURSE EVALUATION
Plant Terminology Exam (100 pts) – Proper use of terminology is critical to identification of plants. For
this first exam you will be on asked to use proper terminology to describe one or several plants.
Family Identification Exam (100 pts) – You will need to be familiar enough with several plant families to
identify them on site and to list characteristics which allowed you to identify them as such.
Species Identification Exam (100 pts) – The goal of this course is for you to be able to identify plants by
scientific name. For this exam you will be expected to identify several plants to species, using a
taxonomic key.
Plant Collection (300 pts) – An orderly collection of at least 50 pressed, dried and labeled specimens is
required. The collection will be graded on the several features.
Total points -- 620
Grading scale -- >92% = A; 88-92% = B+; 83-88% = B; 78-82% = C+; 73-77% = C;
68-72% = D+; 63-67% = D; <63% = F
CLASS ATTENDANCE AND BEHAVIOR – ATTENDANCE
As this is a summer school course and we are meeting for about three hours a day, hence attendance is
critical. However, I will not use the college's attendance policy as leverage to expect your attendance in
class each day.
There is a slight chance that various unplanned activities may cause interruption of the educational
process (tornadoes, hurricanes, ice/snow, or a flu pandemic). The college and I will strive to make sure
all students have the ability to complete their academic obligations for the semester so as to receive
grades as expected. In the case that you realize that you will be away from classes for a while or the
college will be closed please remember to:
1) Check the college emergency information page at:
http://www.newberry.edu/emergency-information/
2) Check the course website for assignments or other course announcements:
http://www.newberry-college.net/chorn/BIO200
3) Check your e-mail for personal messages from me. Please make use of your campus e-mail.
Local Flora syllabus, p. 3
If you become sick enough to miss a substantial number of class meeting, you must contact me (or have
your parents do such) so we can determine your best academic outcome. In most cases you can work
independently on course work.
Cell phones are to be silenced or turned off. Laptop computers may be brought to class and used.
However, if your computer results in distraction of yourself and others in class, I will request that you
shut it down.
COMMUNICATION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM PROGRAM (CACP)
No CACP Level 2 is available in this course.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic integrity at Newberry College assumes that all work, written or oral, submitted by a student is
that student’s own work. I adhere to the College’s policy, which deals severely with cheating—including
plagiarism. [Plagiarism is the theft of another person’s words or ideas. It is a dishonest, unethical attempt
to claim someone’s work as your own—and will not be tolerated in this class.] Students who fail to
comply will receive one of these penalties:
(1) A paper may receive a grade of “0”; a Report of Academic Dishonesty will be filed as part of the
student’s record in the Registrar’s Office and with the Dean of the College or his/her representative ,
(2) A student may receive a grade of “F” for the course; a Report of Academic Dishonesty will be filed
with the Dean of the College or his/her representative and the Registrar, as part of that student’s
permanent record,
(3) A student whose offense is particularly heinous may be remanded to the Dean of the College or
his/her representative, who may convene the Academic Integrity Committee, possibly resulting in a
judicial sanction and/or expulsion.
Students with additional questions should consult with the Dean of the College (phone: 803-321-5110).
For complete explanation of academic integrity, review the complete Academic Integrity Policy and the
Academic Dishonesty Report form located on the Academics webpage at
http://www.newberry.edu/academics/documents.aspx
CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Student Support Services: The mission of the Center for Student Success is to support each student’s
educational goals by offering opportunities to enrich and enhance their academic environment. Services
offered to support this mission are free and include: Individual Academic Specialty Assistance, Career
Services, Content and Writing Assistance, Disability Services, International Programs, Retention, Study
Abroad. The Center for Student Success is currently housed in Wright Hall; students will be notified
when the Center is relocated. Hours for the Fall Semester are 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through
Friday. You can request a Content and/or Writing Assistant at tutor.request@newberry.edu. Please
include your name, professor, course and number. These requests will be answered within 24 business
hours.
Policy on Special Needs—Students with Special Needs: Students who wish to enroll or are already
enrolled in the Disability Services Program must identify themselves and present documentation of their
disability signed by an approved professional in order to have an accommodation letter put in place. This
can be accomplished by contacting Ms. Kay Chandler in the Center for Student Success by phone (803321-5187), e-mail (kay.chandler@newberry.edu), or in person to schedule an initial meeting. ALL
records are kept confidential for the protection of our students. Note: Your instructors are not permitted
to discuss your disabilities with you until you have registered with the Office of Disabilities Support
Services.
Local Flora syllabus, p. 4
BIO 200: LOCAL FLORA
CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE
LECTURE/LAB
May 7
Introduction; Growth Forms; Leaves
May 8
Flowers; Inflorescences
May 9
Fruits; Collecting, processing & labels; local field trip
May 10
Monocots/Dicots; field trip
May 14
Plant Terminology Exam; Plant Families; field trip
May 15
Plant Families; Taxonomic Keys; field trip
May 16
Conifers; keying
May 17
Ferns; keying
May 21
Plant Family Exam; Poisonous Plants
May 22
field trip; keying
May 23
Edible Plants; keying
May 24
Economic Plants; keying
May 28
field trip; keying
May 29
field trip; keying
May 30
Plant Identification Exam; finish collection
May 31
Collections due
A video on spring wildflowers will be shown on a rainy day.