PLANT TAXONOMY
Department and Course Number: Biological Sciences, BSC 416, BSC 516
Course Title: Plant Taxonomy
Credit: 4 Hours
Prerequisite: BSC 120 and 121 or equivalents
Course Description: Recognition and identification of the native vascular plants; The principles of plant taxonomy.
Outline: Attached
Procedure:
Lecture - 2 hours per week
(Summer - 5 hours per week)
Laboratory - 4 hours per week (Summer - 15 hours per week)
Field Trips - 1 per week (avg.) (Summer - 3 per week average)
Field Collections - Required for all students
Graduate Students - Research Paper and/or Presentation
Examinations - Weekly field quizzes
Midterm and final lab exams
Midterm and final lecture exams
Field collections graded
Lab exercises graded
Grading based upon a 10% scale:
90% = A
70% = C
80% = B
60% = D
<60% = F
Texts:
Core, E.L., and N. Ammons. 1973. Woody Plants in Winter. Boxwood Press. Pacific Grove, CA. 218 pp. (Spring Term Only)
(C.and A.)
Walters, D.R., D.J. Keil and Z. E. Murrell. 2006. Vascular Plant Taxonomy. Fifth Edition. Kendall Hunt Publishing
Company, Dubuque, Iowa . 544pp. (WMK)
Strausbaugh, P.D. and E.L. Core. 1978. Flora of West Virginia. 2nd Ed. Seneca Books, Inc.Grantsville, WV. 1079 pp.
(S. and C.)
Required Reading:
Assignments from texts (see outline)
Handouts
Library readings assigned
References on Reserve:
Bailey, L.H. 1949. Manual of Cultivated Plants. Macmillan Company. Toronto. 1116 pp.,
Fernald, M.L. 1950. Grays Manual of Botany. 8th Ed. American Book Co. New York, NY. 1632 pp.
Harmon, P.J, D. Ford-Werntz and W. Grafton. Editors. 2006. Checklist and Atlas of the Vascular Flora of West Virginia. WV
Division of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Section, Elkins, WV. 381 pp.
Attendance Policy:
Students are expected to be present and on time for all class meetings. Unavoidable absences such as those due to illness
and deaths in the family should be reported to the instructor as soon as possible. More than two absences are considered
excessive. Students are responsible for making up missed work, missed exams and picking up class handouts. Lab exams
can be made up only if prior notice is given. Field quizzes cannot be made up. If a field quiz is missed, the following quiz
grade will be used to calculate the one missed. Where absences are excessive, no consideration will be given for borderline
grades.
Course Objectives:
To demonstrate to the student how to recognize and to identify the common vascular plants.
To acquaint the student with the principles, methods and history of plant taxonomy.
To develop in the student an appreciation of the scientific and aesthetic values of plants in the local flora.
Instructor:
Dr. Dan K. Evans
Professor of Biological Sciences
Science Building 364
Phone: (304) 696-6467 (voice mail); email: evans @marshall.edu.
bsc 416-516 syllabus.wpd
PLANT TAXONOMY
BSC 416, BSC 516
TENTATIVE OUTLINE OF LECTURE AND LAB TOPICS:
1. Overview of Plant taxonomy, Course Objectives, Student Responsibilities. Seat and Equipment
assignment.
Handouts.
2. Introduction to Plant Taxonomy
Objectives of the science of plant taxonomy .....................................WKM 1-7; WKM 474-476
Concept of Taxa: Family, Genus, Species and Infraspecific Taxa
Species definition, Species problems; Biosystematics
3. Botanical Nomenclature
Plant names and naming plants. Handouts ........................................WKM. 11- 22
4. Construction and Use of Keys for Plant identification
Vegetative Terminology. ...................................................................WKM 27-37; 77-88
5. Collecting and Preserving Plants for Scientific Purposes.
The herbarium ....................................................................................WKM 113 -124
6. Flowering Plants - Inflorescence and Floral Morphology
Floral Terminology. Exercise graded .................................................WKM 187-208
7. Seed Free Vascular Plants - The Ferns
Life cycle, morphology and taxonomy of ferns and fern allies............WKM 137-161; S and C 2- 43
MID-TERM LECTURE AND LAB EXAMINATION:
THREE HOUR EXAM, DATE:
8. The Gymnosperms
Morphology and taxonomy of native gymnosperms .......................... WKM 183; S and C 44-51
9. The Angiosperms
Pollination, Fertilization, fruit and seed structure in flowering plants... WKM 159 - 165
10. The Angiosperms ................................................................................. WKM 179 - 458 (selected)
Taxonomy, distribution and economic importance of the common families
of flowering plants in North America. Handouts
11. Threatened and Endangered Species
The concept and value of rare plants. Handouts………………............Handouts
12. History and Development of Plant Taxonomy
People, concepts and systems of classification. ……………………… Handouts.
13. Study of the Local Flora1, Field Trips2, Collecting and Identification of the
Local Flora. Handouts ………………………………………………………S and C (bring to class daily)
14. Student Term Projects3 ......................................................................….Handouts
15. Graduate Student Projects4…………………………………………………..Handouts
FINAL LAB EXAM C COMPREHENSIVE EXAM C LAST CLASS DAY5
FINAL LECTURE EXAM B NOT COMPREHENSIVE B FINAL WEEK5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Study of the local flora will begin during week 2 and continue weekly throughout the course
Come prepared each class meeting to go to the field to collect plants.
Student (all students) term projects will be assigned during the early part of the course. Projects are due
2 weeks before the last scheduled class day.
Graduate students are required to do work beyond that required of undergraduate students. These
projects will be assigned during the early part of the course. Project presentations are due on a date near
the end of the course.
The lab final is comprehensive as it relates to plant collections and study of the local flora. The final
lecture exam ,given during the Final Week, deals with lecture material since the mid-term exam.
bsc 416-516 syllabus.wpd