• Required Texts:

• Judd, W.S., C.S. Campbell, E.A. Kellogg, and P.F. Stevens. 2016. Plant Systematics. 4th ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Mass.

• Johnson et al 1995, 2009. Plants of the Western Forest:  Boreal & Aspen Parkland. Lone Pine Press.

• Recommended Texts:
• Moss, E.H. 1983. Flora of Alberta. 2nd ed. revised by J.G. Packer. University of Toronto Press.
• Other Required Items:
• Hand lens (available in the TKUC bookstore)
• Field notebook (available in stationery stores). It should be small enough to fit in a pocket and must be bound.
• Work gloves for handling spiny plants

• Develop an appreciation of plant classification systems, classification theories and techniques
• Develop plant identification skills through the use of keys
• Learn the techniques of herbarium specimen preparation
• Field trips will introduce the student to the major plant associations of central Alberta 2. Study the morphology, adaptations, ecology, and uses (ethnobotanical) of major plant groups including:  1) Dicots, 2) Monocots, 3) Gymnosperms, 4) Mosses, and 5) Seedless plants (ferns etc.)

Plants are all around us, and are the foundation of our ecosystem.  They provide all components of the ecosystem (including us) with energy in the form of fixed carbon, as well as the oxygen necessary to release & use that energy.  They have tremendous aesthetic value, making our landscapes beautiful. Plants are also frequently ignored, attracting much less attention from professional biologists & casual observers alike than say a grizzly bear, hawk or bison. Yet plants are wildlife too! We often take them for granted as simply a part of our visual landscape.

• Course Introduction. What is a plant?  Plant Collecting techniques - handout 
• Plant morphology – vegetative  Plant morphology – flowers, fruits and seeds Basal Angiosperms: Amborellaceae, Nymphaceae, Austrobaileyales Magnoliids review  Monocots: Alismales (Araceae), Liliales (Liliaceae), Asparagales (Orchidaceae)
• Monocots: Arecales (palms), Poales (grasses), 
• Ranunculales (buttercup) Caryophyllales (Cactaceae), Polygonales (Droseraceae) 
• Polygonales (Polygonaceae), Saxifragales (Saxifragaceae), Malphigiales (Euphorbiaceae 
• Rosales (Rosaceae), Fagales (Betulaceae) 
• Myrtales, Brassicales (mustards), Malvales (dipterocarps) 
• Asterales (asters, lobelia) 
• Cornales (hydrangea, dogwoods), Ericales (tea, heathers) 
• Solanales (morning glory, borage, tomato), Gentianales (coffee) 
• Lamiales (olives, snapdragons, figworts, mints) 
• Aquifoliales (holly), Apiales (carrot), Dipscales (honeysuckle) 
• Sapindales (citrus, mahogany, frankincense, soapberry)
• Floristic regions of the world
• Review of green plant phylogeny Historical background to plant taxonomy Plant evolution and classification techniques Plant biochemical characteristics
• Plant molecular systematics
• Overview of spore-bearing plants –hornworts, liverworts, mosses, lycophytes, ferns Overview of the Seed Plants
•  Review

• 13 Sept Field trip  - Grassland - Gibbons
• 20 Sept Field trip – Ft. Saskatchewan/Whitemud - Riparian
• 27 Sept Field trip – Jack Pine Esker
• 04 Oct Field trip – Black Spruce Peatland 
• *05 Oct Lab Exam - Identify and mount specimens – ID shrubs
• 11 Oct Thanksgiving/Fall Break – no lab 
• 18 Oct Identify and mount specimens – ID herbs I  – Submit  5 plants
• 25 Oct Identify and mount specimens – ID grasses 
• 01 Nov Identify remaining specimens   - ID herbs II                  
• 08 Nov Identify remaining specimens
• 15 Nov Identify remaining specimens
• 22 Nov Lab exam Review, finish mounting
• 29 Nov Entire plant collection due
• 06 Dec Lab exam II