class
Friday, April 24, 2026—Friday, August 14, 2026
Plant Families
In this online, self-paced foundational course, you will learn how to recognize characteristic patterns among twelve herbaceous flowering plant families in New England such as buttercups (Ranunculaceae), mints (Lamiaceae), mustards (Brassicaceae), orchids (Orchidaceae), grasses (Poaceae), and asters (Asteraceae). You will be introduced to concepts and tools to identify plants quickly and accurately in the field, such as basic botanical terms for describing plants, methods of classification, and techniques for field and microscopic observations and dissections. This course includes both outdoor and indoor hands-on assignments. Because our learning will follow the bloom times of plants, assignments are time-sensitive. There is a forum for peer discussion, and your learning is guided by an instructor who will review your assignments and answer your questions. Thomas Elpel’s Botany in a Day is the required companion text. A hand lens and some dissecting tools are also needed.
| Location | Online, Self-Paced |
|---|---|
| Subject | Botany & Conservation |
| Fee | $115 |
| Instructor | Neela de Zoysa, botanist, adjunct faculty, Landscape Architecture, Boston Architectural College |
| Certificate | Basic Certificate Core |