MASTER COURSE OUTLINE
Big Bend Community College
Date: December 2007
DEPT: BOT
NO: 140
COURSE TITLE: Field Botany
CIP Code:
Intent Code:
Program Code:
26.0307
11
N/A
Distribution Designation: Math/Science Lab.
CREDITS:
Total Contact Hours Per Qtr:
Lecture Hours Per Qtr:
Lab Hours Per Qtr:
Other Hours Per Qtr:
5
77
33
44
PREPARED BY: Kathleen Duvall
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Field botany involves the identification and classification of local plants of
the Columbia Basin area. Different biomes are studied with emphasis on the steppe and shrub-steppe
vegetation common to this area. Students participate in seven field trips to collect native plants.
Following field trips, students identify, press, dry, and mount collected plants in order to assemble a
required plant collection. During laboratory sessions students learn to use a taxonomic key to identify
and classify collected plants. NOTE: This is a field course with required field trips. Field trips often
involve hiking over uneven terrain; students climb up slopes, both on and off trails to collect plant
specimens. Any questions concerning these field trips may be directed to the instructor.
PREREQUISITE(S): None
TEXT: Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, Univ. of WA Press, ©1973, 10th
printing, 1996. Also required – Plant Identification Terminology, Harris and Harris, 2nd edition, Spring
Lake Publishing, 2002.
COURSE GOALS: To help students gain a basic understanding and appreciation of our local flora
(plant life). To increase student awareness of the diversity that is found within the Columbia Basin, both
diversity of habitat and diversity of vegetation. To provide students with instruction and practice in using
a taxonomic key to identify and classify collected plants.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Distinguish between standard, talus, meadow, aquatic, saline, sand dune, and lithosol vegetative
zones.
Proficiently use a dichotomous, taxonomic key to identify collected and unknown native plants.
Define and use basic vocabulary words relating to the morphology and taxonomy of local, native
plants.
Appropriately press, mount, and label plants for a plant collection.
Maintain a complete field collection record specifying when and where plant specimens were
collected.
Field identify major plant families based on each family’s common characteristics.
Identify plants collected during the term from pressed herbarium samples and photographs, naming
each plant’s scientific name, common name, family, and vegetative zone.
Discuss the ethnobotany of the Columbia Basin as well as the history of plant identification in our
region.
COURSE CONTENT OUTLINE:
General Introduction
Scientific Names and Taxonomy Overview
Description of Vegetative Zones
BOT 140
Descriptive Terms
Introduction to a Taxonomic Key
Page 1 of 2
Guidelines for Plant Collection and Pressing
Herbarium Samples – Mounting Plants and Labeling
Keying Strategies
Maintaining a Collection Record
Field Trip #1: Lenore Caves area
Standard, Meadow, Lithosol, and Talus Zones
Field Trip #2: Neppel Road / Rd. 10 NE
Standard, Lithosol, and Talus Zones
Field Trip #3: Sagebrush Flats area, Ephrata
Lithosol, Standard, and Meadow Zones
Field Trip #4: Columbia Natl. Wildlife Refuge
Standard, Lithosol, and Meadow Zones
Field Trip #5: Frenchman Coulee
Talus, Sand dune, Standard, and Meadow Zones
Field Trip #6: Jameson Lake area
Talus, Lithosol, Standard, Aquatic, and Meadow Zones
Field Trip #7: Moses Lake area
Sand dune, Saline, Standard, and Aquatic Zones
Remaining Laboratory Sessions
Keying of Collected Plants
EVALUATION METHODS/GRADING PROCEDURES:
Evaluation will be accomplished by exams, quizzes, assignments, field trip attendance, and a plant
collection. The overall course grade is based on the following categories. Any slight adjustments to these
category point values will be printed and distributed to students at the beginning of each quarter.
Plant Collection (40 plants)
Field Trip Attendance and Participation
Plant Identification Exams
Assignments, Lab Quizzes, and Keying Test
Total Points Possible
400 pts
100 pts
300 pts
200 pts
1000 pts
The final grade will be based on a percentage of the total points possible according to the approximate
schedule below. The instructor may adjust the grade scale slightly as deemed necessary.
100 - 96%
95 - 90%
89 - 84%
83 - 78%
4.0
3.9 - 3.5
3.4 - 3.0
2.9 - 2.5
77 - 72%
71 - 66%
65 - 59%
58 - 0%
2.4 - 2.0
1.9 - 1.5
1.4 - 0.7
0.0
Attendance on all field trips is mandatory; this is a field course involving hands-on participation.
Viewing plants in their proper environmental niche is essential to understanding of the vegetative zones
and the shrub-steppe habitat of the Columbia Basin. Missing one field trip incurs a penalty of 10 points;
missing two field trips, the penalty is 30 points. The penalty jumps to 60 points for three missed field
trips. Students will not be given credit for this course if they miss more than three field trips.
Attendance during lab keying is an essential part of this class as well. Students missing more than three labs
sessions will not be given credit for this course. All plant identification exams are practical exams in which
students rotate through stations that each contain herbarium samples and/or photographs of selected plants.
Students are asked to identify each plant giving scientific name, common name, family, and/or vegetative
zone.
PLANNED TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES:
X Lecture
X Laboratory
Supervised Clinical
X Small Group Discussion
X Audiovisual
Individualized Instruction
X Special Project
X Other (List)
Field Work
Division Chair Approval
BOT 140
Page 2 of 2