Big Botany Thread

[BotanyWotany]

Anyone interested in botany? Any actual botanists out there?

I am newbie and finding it super fun.

Anyone want to join me in botany chat?

I am currently looking at families level and giving myself a few goals each week to find as many x family as possible.

Anyone want to join the hunt?

Currently searching for Lamiaceae (Dead Nettle Family) and Asteraceae (Daisy Family).

Is this an organised activity? I'm not aware of it but would like to know more.

Well it’s organised as much as I made a thread if that entices you 😂

No it’s not really organised. I have been looking at botany courses and found many go in a family format; such as this BSBI one.. https://identiplant.bsbi.org/the-course

So this is me kind of trying to self emulate the study plan and I might join the course next year if I find I enjoy it… which so far I have been! It’s like an exciting treasure hunt.

And just wondered if anyone wished to join. Might see more of the UK plants that way as people will live in different areas.

Lamiaceae - Dead Nettle Family

The largest genera are Salvia (900), Scutellaria (360), Stachys (300), Plectranthus(300), Hyptis (280), Teucrium (250), Vitex (250), Thymus (220), and Nepeta (200).[5] Clerodendrum was once a genus of over 400 species,[5] but by 2010, it had been narrowed to about 150.[7]

Characters to look for:
Aromatic herbs or small shrubs. Branches 4-angled (especially when young) . Leaves simple, opposite ; pairs arranged at right angles to each other (decussate) . Stipules absent. Inflorescence with leaf-like, reduced bracts. Flowers irregular, 2-lipped ; petals 5, united; stamens 2 or 4, of unequal length, attached to corolla; ovary superior and deeply 4-lobed �; Style arising from between the lobes. Fruit comprises 4 nutlets .

So in layman’s terms…

• simple paired leaves with the next set at right angles to the first set (or occasionally whorled around)
• square stems
• smelly
• non symmetrical flowers (like a pea or an orchid as opposed a daisy)

So you are diving into plant identification and classification and names etc, yes?
Wild or garden?
Definitely interested, I love plants, I love identifying things, I love identifying plants! Never gone about it systematically but happy to join in and see how this evolves @BotanyWotany .

Love the name! I could name change to PlantyMcPlantface? 😂🌱🌿🍁🌳🌻

Welcome 🤗 @heldinadream

Yes that was the idea. Learn about id. Although the more I am doing this the more I am realising it’s learning about a lot of other things too. Like taxonomy, plant biology, plant relationships etc. It’s making me look closer and finding taking notice more than before so thats nice.

Happy for garden or wild. Whatever really. Excited to meet people who also love plants 🌱

and yes you must name change! 😂

This does sound good! Sorry OP when you said families level I thought it was a setting on an app or something 😂

This explains to you my level of knowledge about plants!!

I'll follow the thread. It sounds complicated though lol and my brain is already maxed out rn.

I do know a bit about the relationships between plants and insects.

I love botany! It’s taken me 60 years to realise that I should have studied it from the start. I especially like identifying plants and trees. I’m a linguist and I see it as an extension of that skill and interest, with an aesthetic dimension. It’s just so pleasing to look at plants!

I applied for identiplant with BSBI last year but was put on the waiting list. In the meantime I have done some of the online Field studies Council courses which are a great introduction and good value. I have done Botanical Folklore, Discovering Botany, The Wildflowers and Habitat of our local park (sorry too outing) and Discovering trees.

www.field-studies-council.org

I have two rather nice books - more for dipping into every now and again than reading from cover to cover in one sitting😂

Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon
RHS practical Latin for Gardeners by James Armitage

Both are intended for keen gardeners who are interested in finding out more, but would be handy for anyone interested in plant classification & science, and general botany.

This looks rather good, via the Open University's provision of free short online courses.

https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=8278

Oh wow! This is very cool.

Identiplant must be very popular then. Yes I have looked at the FSC too! Maybe I should go on a few. They do seem reasonable in price.

Hopefully the wait list isn’t too long for BSBI. I thought I might be able to start next year but to wait another will be a long wait!

I would like to do the field skills certificate maybe one day. I feel like this is adult Pokémon lol 😂

Welcome @Yamadori and @TheAutumnCrow too! These are cool resources thankyou.

All I have at the moment is google, The wildflower key by rose, and the Veg key because I found it on vinted on a mega deal (bit advanced for now).

@BotanyWotany One family group you might enjoy looking at is rosaceae.

Roses, strawberries, pyracantha, apples, hawthorn, cherries, it's a huge genus.

Botanist here! That was the subject of my degree - Botany with Marine Botany. It was a very long time ago though.