Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard University Herbarium

  • Tuesdays, September 19 – November 14, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Introduction to Botany

    Learn botany from dedicated instructor and plant nomenclature specialist Kanchi Gandhi. Among the topics to be explored: plant cells and tissues, anatomy and morphology, reproduction, nutrition, growth and development, plant diversity, evolution, classification, and nomenclature. This course will be held at the Harvard University Herbarium in Cambridge on Tuesdays, September 19 – November 14, from 6:30 – 8:30, and includes both lecture and laboratory activities. It is suitable for beginning botanists or those seeking a refresher course. Required text: Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon. $225 for New England Wild Flower Society and Arnold Arboretum (co-sponsor) members, $270 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/introduction-to-botany

  • Tuesdays, March 1 – March 29, 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Plant Nomenclature: Determination of the Correct Name of a Known Plant

    In plant names, such as Acer rubrum (red maple), what do the two parts of the name represent? Why do taxonomists change long-accepted plant names and who settles disputes about these names? What is “rule of priority” and why is it rejected occasionally (as in the name of tomato)? What is a ‘type specimen’?

    Dr. Gandhi will answer these questions and more in this introduction to the study of botanical nomenclature and explain the rules of the current international nomenclature code. The classes, on five consecutive Tuesday evenings beginning March 1, will take place at the Harvard University Herbarium, 22 Divinity Avenue in Cambridge, and are sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum.  $120 for Arboretum members, $144 for nonmembers.  You may register by calling 617-384-5277, or emailing adulted@arnarb.harvard.edu.