BIOL314 - Systematic Botany

CLASS TIME

9:30 - 10:20 A.M. - Monday, Wednesday, Friday SH 110

LAB TIME

3:00 - 6:00 P.M. - Wednesday

TEXT BOOKS

(1) Contemporary Plant Systematics(2nd Ed.) by Dennis W. Woodland
(2) Plant Identification and Terminology by James and Melinda Harris

KEYING MANUALS:

To be supplied, on loan, by Biology Department
Student's Responsibility:
Biology Field Notebook(5" x 7.5") - $5.00 from Biology Office
On Loan from Biology Department

Hand Lens(10X)
Dissection Knife
2 Plant Presses

INSTRUCTOR

Richard McCluskey

Office	Scales Hall #110 Tel. ext 259 Hours 8:00 A.M.- 9:30 A.M. - MWF 12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. - MTWF
E-mail	richardm@cosmic.swau.edu
Home Page	http://biology.swau.edu/faculty/mccluskey.html
Biology Home Page:	http://biology.swau.edu/biology.html

Credit Hours:

4 Semester Hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A taxonomic study of the flowering plants of Texas. This field course includes methods for the identification, appropriate collection, and preservation of plant specimens.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

To learn the characteristics and common examples of the major families of flowering plants.
To be able to name the family, the species, and, perhaps, the common name of many of the familiar flowering plants--on sight.
To learn techniques for identification, collection, and preservation of flowering plants, whether in the vegetative or flowering stages.
To observe the seasonal effect on floral development and foliage expansion.
To gain some appreciation for vegetational zones in the areas covered by the course.
6. To observe the influence of the Creator in the taxonomic organization of the flowering plants.

CLASSROOM FORMAT

1.	Lectures	-	Information will be presented from a variety of sources.
2.	Reading	-	See the Course Outline for textbook assignments. (Expect outside reading, too.)
3.	Discussion	-	Questions and comments are encouraged.

LABORATORY FORMAT

Fieldwork

This is a field course, but laboratory topics and weather will require that we spend some time in the laboratory.

Laboratory Period

(Mondays, 3 P.M. to 6 P.M.) - We are likely to use some entire laboratory periods away from the campus, as we search for viable specimens.
Sunday Field Trip

We will need to plan for one all-day Sunday collection trip.
Four-Day Trip

We will head south for one extended trip (March 19 - 23, 1999), in order to take advantage of earlier spring in South-Central and Coastal Texas, and the earlier flowering that occurs in those places for our purposes. (This will be a camping trip.)

Laboratory Activities

Early in the semester we will find it very useful to spend time in the laboratory to become very well acquainted with some vital basics.

CL#	DATE			TOPIC	READING
1	JAN	6	W	Course Introduction
2		8	F	Phytography - Habit	CHAP 8
3		11	M	Phytography - Habit
4		13	W	Phytography - Foliage
5		15	F	Phytography - Foliage
6		18	M	Phytography - Flowers
7		20	W	Phytography - Flowers
8		22	F	Phytography - Fruit
9		25	M	Phytography - Fruit
10		27	W	UNIT EXAMINATION - 1
11		29	F	Introduction to Plant Classification	CHAP 1
12	FEB	1	M	Naming The Plants	CHAP 2
13		3	W	Endangered and Threatened Species	CHAP 14
14		5	F	Role of Botanic Gardens in Society	CHAP 15
15		8	M	Families of Pinophyta	CHAP 7
16		10	W	Families of Pinophyta(Continued)
17		12	F	Families of Pinophyta(Concluded)
18		15	M	UNIT EXAMINATION - 2
19		17	W	Families of Magnoliopsida	CHAP 9
20		19	F
21	FEB	22	M
22		24	W
23		26	F
24	MAR	1	M
25		3	W	UNIT EXAMINATION - 3
		5	F	SPRING BREAK
		8	M	SPRING BREAK
		10	W	SPRING BREAK
		12	F	SPRING BREAK
26		15	M	Magnoliopsida	CHAP 9
27		17	W
28		19	F
		22	M	SPRING FIELD TRIP
29		24	W
30		26	F
31		29	M
32		31	W
33	APR	2	F	UNIT EXAMINATION - 4
34		5	M	Liliopsida	CHAP 10
35		7	W
36		9	F
37		12	M
38	APR	14	W
39		16	F
40		19	M
41		21	W
42		23	F	UNIT EXAMINATION - 5 (7:30 A.M. to 9:20 A.M.)

Lab#	Date			Subject for Lab
1	JAN	11	M	Basic Plant Anatomy - Lab
2		18	M	Basic Plant Anatomy - Lab
3		25	M	Floral Anatomy
4	FEB	1	M	LABORATORY EXAMINATION - 1
5		8	M	Taxonomic Keys
6		15	M	Identification of Winter Trees
7		22	M	Identification of Winter Trees
8	MAR	1	M	LABORATORY EXAMINATION - 2
		8	M	SPRING BREAK
9		15	M	Collect and Key Wildflowers
10		19	F to 23 Tu	Collect and Key Wildflowers - SPRING FIELD TRIP
11		29	M	Collect and Key Wildflowers
12	APR	5	M	Collect and Key Wildflowers
13		12	M	Prepare Wildflower Collection
14		19	M	LABORATORY EXAMINATION - 3 (PLANT COLLECTION AND FIELD NOTES DUE)