Introduction to Botany

Botany

The branch of biology that studies plants, including their structure, properties, and biochemical processes.

Plant Taxonomy

The science of classifying and naming plants, a branch of systematics.

Kingdom

A taxonomic category of the highest rank grouping organisms based on fundamental characteristics.

Phylum

A taxonomic level below kingdom and above class, including groups like Bryophyta and Angiosperms.

Class

A taxonomic rank below phylum and above order, where organisms share more characteristics with each other.

Order

The rank below class and above family in taxonomy, where members share more in common than those in the same class.

Family

A taxonomic rank grouping plants based on common characteristics, typically ending in “-ceae.”

Genus

The first part of a plant’s binomial scientific name, always capitalized and in italics.

Species

A group of individuals that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Scientific Method

A systematic approach to research emphasizing skepticism and reliance on observable phenomena.

Plant Anatomy

The study of the internal structure of plants.

Plant Physiology

The study of plant functions, including growth and material conduction.

Plant Geography

The study of the distribution of plants and reasons behind their locations.

Plant Ecology

The study of interactions between plants and their environment.

Plant Morphology

The study of the form and structure of plants.

Genetics

The scientific study of heredity and variation of inherited characteristics in plants.

Cell Biology

The study of cell structure and function, including cell division.

Economic Botany and Ethnobotany

The study of practical uses of plants and plant products.

Thallophyta

Plants with primitive body structures, including algae.

Bryophyta

Non-vascular plants known as the “amphibians of the plant kingdom.”

Pteridophyta

Vascular plants with differentiated structures, reproducing via spores.

Gymnosperms

Seed-bearing plants with naked seeds not enclosed within fruits.

Angiosperms

Seed-bearing vascular plants with seeds enclosed within fruits, divided into monocots and dicots.