Greetings! I am slated to teach a Plant Identification class at our
university during the first (4-week) summer session beginning in May of
this year. I have several questions regarding the class, and I was hoping
that plant-edders might assist in providing some feedback... thanks in
advance!
First, I continue to get confused as to the best way to explain to
students (with only a beginning botany class under their belt) how to
count placentae in a practical sense (i.e. under a dissecting scope). We
explain to students that a good way to count the number of carpels in a
particular specimen is to count stigmas, styles, placentae, and locules.
Assuming this statement is not in error (and please correct me if it is!),
does anyone have any suggestions as to how to describe placentae and
therefore to determine how many (of them) there are? I seem to start out
explaining that they are the point of attachment for ovules, but things
get bogged down in a hurry when we look at legumes, with only a single
placentae.
Second, if anyone has any experience teaching plant ID in a short,
condensed course, I'd love to hear your thoughts on any or all of the
following: Should I get all the terminology over with first? Or
intersperse terminology with presentation of families that they learn
about in lecture and then see in lab?
I enjoy challenging students by giving them plant families in lab that
they haven't had (or haven't had yet) in lecture; however, students
inevitably complain that they would benefit from diagrams and drawings
showing them specialized structures, etc. to look for prior to their
dissections in lab. My inclination is to continue challenging them
regardless of their resistance and just make sure they eventually can tie
what they've seen in lab back to any diagrams and drawings that may
clarify structures. Any thoughts?
If I collect fresh plant material (which I am hoping to do; I think only
one field trip will be taken, however, to demonstrate pressing techniques,
field notes, etc.) what is the best way to preserve the material for use
in lab? How long will it keep?
Finally, how large of a plant collection would be considered reasonable
for a 4-week class? Class size should be about 25-30 and I'm doing all the
grading. I'm thinking 20 plants, pressed, mounted, and with labels and
field notes. How does this compare with what others have done? We're in N.
Colorado and there shouldn't be any shortage of things blooming by that
time.
Many thanks for your input!
Cheers,
Carol Riley
Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523
criley at lamar.colostate.edu
