Botany
Selected Readings and Content
- Botany Primer: Understanding Botany for Nature’s Notebook (PDF), USA-NPN Education & Engagement Series, April 2015
- Extension Gardener – Botany Exercises, NC State Extension
Plant ID Resources
- Missouri Weed ID
- Go Botany
- Weed ID website from Cornell (based on the book Weeds of the Northeast)
Additional Resources
- Glossary of Horticultural Terms, Cornell University, Department of Horticulture
- Forest Trees of the Northeast
- Newcomb’s Guide
- Weeds of the Northeast
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for Maine
Master Gardener Volunteer Training
Core Competencies
At the end of these sessions you will be able to articulate and explain:
- The binomial system (Genus species) of plant nomenclature
- Meaning of the terms hybrid, open-pollinated, variety and cultivar
- Plant parts (roots, stems, buds, leaves, flowers and fruits) and their functions
- Be aware of how a plant is identified – ie. using a dichotomous key
- Plant growth, development and differentiation
- The processes of photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration in plants
- Major environmental factors that influence plant growth, development and phenology (spacing, nutrients, light, day length, water, temperature)
Practical Skills Gained and Strengthened
- How to identify a plant using various tools – dichotomous key, on-line search, reference books
- How to provide the proper environmental conditions for optimal plant growth and production