Ultimate Botany Resources

Botany is the scientific study of plants. It is one of the oldest branches of biology on record. Within the main classification of Botany, there are several smaller areas including, but not limited to: Paleobotany--the study of plant history through fossils, Physiology--the study of plant cells and tissues, Plant Pathology--the study of diseases in plants, and Pteridology--the study of ferns.

Scope and Importance of Botany

As plants are responsible for producing the oxygen humans and animals breathe, they are necessary to our existence. Understanding how plants work and learning about the various species all over the planet is of great benefit to our livelihood. Plants also play an integral role in the food chain, providing nutrients to many living creatures, from the smallest of insects, to the largest of animals—humans included. Botany takes a close look at all aspects of plant life, from its history, to its composition, and its illnesses.

National Biological Information Infrastructure: A comprehensive website containing information on all aspects of biology, botany included.

Botany.com: An online encyclopedia indexing plants. Find out information on nearly any plant source imaginable.

Virtual Library of Botany: This is an extensive source of information for forestry, tree breeding, and forest genetics.

The Smithsonian’s Botany Department: This website shares excellent information about the scope and importance of Botany.

Botanical Society of America: This offers information on the organization and educates people about Botany.

Agronomy

Agronomy refers to the science and technology of using plants for food, medicine, fuel, and fiber. Within Agronomy, there are several other sciences, such as chemistry, Earth science, ecology, and genetics. This is because Agronomy deals with several issues, such as the production of food, making foods healthier, the environmental impact of agriculture, and even producing energy from food.

American Society of Agronomy: This website offers comprehensive information on Agronomy.

Agronomy Journal: An online archive of a magazine dedicated to Agronomy.

Perdue University offers a comprehensive list of links about Agronomy.

Bryology

Bryology refers to the area of Botany where the study is focused on moss, liverworts and hornwarts, more collectively known as bryophytes. Those who study this area of Botany are interested in learning more about how bryophytes work with other plant species and how we as animals depend on them.

IAB - International Association of Bryologists : The International Association of Bryologists is an organization for those who study Bryology.

Duke Bryology Lab: Lab that examines the processes and patterns of evolution in mosses, liverworts and horworts.

MBG: Research: Bryology Home Page: This has a vast collection of Bryology resources.

Economic Botany

Economic Botany is the study of the relationships between people and plants. By better understanding these relationships, we can get a better insight into how people are using plants to survive, and how we can keep plant species thriving.

Society for Economic Botany : This is a group for people who enjoy studying Economic Botany.|

What is Economic Botany ?: This provides an excellent definition and scope of Economic Botany.

BioOne Journals: Economic Botany: This presents an archive of issues of the Economic Botany BioOneJournal.

Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the study of how people of a particular culture used their indigenous plants. This branch takes a close look at how people used their native plants to produce food, clothing, medicines, and even fuel.

Ethnobotany: This provides an informative look at what Ethnobotany is.

Native American Ethnobotany Database: This is a database from the University of Michigan cataloging foods, drugs, dyes, and fibers from Native American people and plants.
Ethnobotany Research & Applications: This provides an in depth look at some of the applications of Ethnobotany.

Forestry

Forestry is the study and management of the forests. People who focus on this area of Botany want to keep the forests healthy, burning away any dead material to foster new growth. These people watch for wildfires, and manage all the forestry growth in their area.

US Forest Service: This is the website for the United States Forestry Service.

Forestry: This is the website for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Forestry is a major topic here.

Oxford Journal: Forestry: This is a link to the Oxford Journals on Forestry.

Horticulture

Horticulture is the science of plant cultivation. People who focus on this area of Botany are the ones who figure out how to get plants to produce the optimal amount of food, or medicine, or fuel. They discover different ways to cultivate plants to make them bigger, better, and stronger for the people who use them.

American Horticulture Society: This is the website for an organization of people who study horticulture.

Horticulture Magazine: This is the website for a popular Horticulture publication.
The American Society for Horticultural Science: This is the website for an organization dedicated to studying horticulture.

Lichenology

Lichenology is the study of lichens, or symbiotic organisms.

The International Association of Lichenology: This is the website for the association of people who study Lichenology.

Cambridge Journals Online: The Lichenologist: This is the link to a Cambridge Journal that focuses on Lichenology.
American Bryological and Lichenological Society  (ABLS): Organization devoted to the study of bryophytes and lichen forming fungi.

Paleobotany

Paleobotany is the branch of Botany that handles the recovery and identification of plant remains from a variety of locations. This is somewhat like archeology in the sense that Paleobotanists are finding and piecing together plant remains to tell a story of what life was like in the area at the time those plants were alive.

Paleobotanical Collections Database: This is the University of Kansas Paleobotanical
Collections website.
Paleobotany Project: Home: This is from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Virtual Paleobotany Lab: This is a University of California at Berkley website on various parts of Botany.

Palynology

Palynology is the area of Botany that focuses on studying both living and fossilized forms of pollen and spores. People who study this area of botany focus on microscopic organisms resistant to most forms of decay.

Palynology : This is a publication from GeoScience World.
The Palynological Society: This is the website for the organization of people who study Palynology.
Earth Science Pages: Paleontology and Palynology : This provides a collection of informative links about Palynology.

Phycology

Phycology is the branch of Botany that focuses on various forms of algae. As algae is very important to the ecosystems it lives in, getting a better understanding of it gives scientists a better insight into other parts of the ecosystem built around it. The smallest creatures typically feed on algae, where another creature feeds on them, and so forth until the top of the chain is reached.

Journal of Phycology: This is the website for a well-known Phycology publication.
The Phycology Section: This is the Phycology portion of the website for the Patrick Center for Environmental Research.
International Phycology Society: This is the website for the organization of people who study Phycology.