The ability to properly identify plants is critical to proper environmental analysis and management. In this course, designed for entry-level field biologists, botanists, environmental management professionals and ecologists, you will be introduced to the methods and best practices by which California plants are classified, specifically using The Jepson Manual – Vascular Plants of California.
Through lecture, discussions and hands-on activities, you will learn how to overcome common challenges in plant identification by practicing the utilization of appropriate resources, tools and scientific language. You will learn terminology, abbreviations, use of dichotomous keys and use of dissection microscopes. You will also be trained to recognize the characteristics that identify major vascular plant groups, including characteristics at the Family, Genera and Species-level. By the end of this course, you will be able to independently identify major taxa of California vascular plants and successfully key out to Family and Genus. You will be equipped to identify and properly use the online resources, tools, abbreviations, and terminology necessary to accurately identify California plants in your day-to-day work.
Learning Outcomes
- Correctly apply dichotomous keys to identify major vascular plant taxa
- Utilize online and text resources efficiently for plant identification
- Independently use the tools and language necessary to identify major California vascular plant lineages beyond the course
Skills You Will Gain
- Independent identification of major taxa of California vascular plants
- Accurate use of dichotomous keys, scientific vocabulary and abbreviations in the Jepson Manual
- Efficient techniques for the use of dissection microscopes