Learn the key features of flowering plants and explore different habitats to uncover the variety of wildflower species specific to certain areas. Gain confidence, develop skills, and learn how to use field identification guides and keys in this relaxed introduction to the world of botany.

Delve into the fascinating and beautiful world of botany! Plants are essential for all life on earth as they are the base of all terrestrial food chains.

This lively, informative, hands-on course will offer you a relaxed introduction to the world of botany. With plenty of plant material to pull apart and look at in the classroom, we will investigate the vegetative (leaves, stems, roots) and reproductive (flowers, fruits and seeds) parts of flowering plants, and start to understand the roles that they perform. Moving outside, we will look at the plants growing around the field centre – using them for further study of these features. We will consider the domination of the angiosperms (flowering plants) in the broader context of the whole plant kingdom.

Tutor: Karen Van Oostrum

Karen van Oostrum has a love of plants and the environment, underpinned by a solid understanding of plant adaptability, physiology and genetics. A Biology graduate of Oxford University with a Ph.D. in wheat genetics, Karen was Head of Education at Cambridge University Botanic Garden from 2006 – 2012. Karen specialises in: running taster courses for adults in Botany, Microscopy, Genetics and Plant Breeding; and supporting the teaching of plant science in Primary Schools.

Bursaries and Subsidies

Student Discount

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off all Biodiversity courses.

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