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

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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