/r/botany

Photograph via snooOG

Botany is the scientific study of plants. Topics may include: Evolution, Ecology, Morphology, Systematics, and Physiology.

Please use r/whatsthisplant for all plant identification requests.

If you have any questions or want to discuss the science of botany, please feel free to post a question or discussion topic.


If you need a plant ID'd, please head to /r/whatsthisplant

If you need help taking care of a plant please go to /r/plantclinic

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Assessing botanical capacity report

Online botanical resources

/r/botany

154,240 Subscribers

2

I need help differentiating Caryophyllaceae from Polemoniaceae

Does anyone have any resources that describe the morphological differences between these two families? Do you have any field characteristics you use to tell them apart?

They look so similar, I have a hard time telling them apart in the field when I don't have a nice flower to key out.

1 Comment
2024/03/27
00:04 UTC

4

"Hello, I am from India and I have been tasked with creating a research paper on the Himalayan birch and Sal tree, covering all relevant aspects." Where can i find resources please do help me 🙏😩

2 Comments
2024/03/27
08:34 UTC

6

How to preserve leaf specimens for microscopy?

Hello! I’m planning to do a project on plant stomatal density all over the country for a big school project, and I don’t have my own microscope. Luckily, the school microscopes are available for me to use. My question is: How can I wet-preserve plant specimens so that the stomata are still visible under a microscope after around 1 month, plus or minus, in storage?

2 Comments
2024/03/27
15:32 UTC

5

Monstera

Hi there, I recently found out that if you search "philodendron pertusum" online, you're sento to wikipedia's page about monstera deliciosa, but I don't understand why. At first I thought it might be a different classification for the plant but both APG IV and Cronquist classify it as monstera deliziosa, not philodendrum pertusum. So what is it, could it be another classification method that I haven't taken into account?

2 Comments
2024/03/27
16:38 UTC

2

Any recommendations for books on the flora of Southern California and Nevada?

Im a botanist from New England and I want to bring dichotomous keys or books on the flora of the area on my trip.

3 Comments
2024/03/25
13:56 UTC

12

Can I pursue a career in botany with a bachelor in Biology?

Honestly going through a professional identity crisis atm, which is why I’m considering getting another degree. According to others I’ve talked to, Biology does complement my Psyc degree. Although, Im also taking a specific interest in Botany.

Yeah, I know im all over the place. I suppose what I really want is to work in a lab setting. I am deeply fascinated with research.

Anyway, if I do seek a degree in bio, is it possible for me to pursue a (research) career in botany? I suppose I should also ask what botany truly entails. Thanks in advance.

Edit: My former university doesn’t offer a botany program. That’s why I thought to ask here to hopefully get some firsthand accounts.

8 Comments
2024/03/25
15:15 UTC

1

Gear for wetlands

The physiology tag is a joke, I thought it was funny to add it.

I've been botanizing in wetlands more recently and my current prairie gear isn't really working once the water gets knee deep. I was wondering if all of you have any recommendations for what to wear.

I wanna get some waders and some more water resistant shoes to wear with them. Any recommendations on how to keep cool in the texas heat would be great too.

1 Comment
2024/03/25
17:36 UTC

5

Working with botany

I am studying biological sciences in Brazil and I do so with an emphasis on botany and ecology. I have experience in plant anatomy, taxonomy, morphology, botanical ecology and genetics. I would like to spend a few years working in a country (in the Europe) before pursuing a master's or doctorate. Any suggestion?

3 Comments
2024/03/25
18:24 UTC

0

Dogwood trees

I have a strange question. I live in GA USA,. Easter can fall anywhere between the beginning of March to the end of April. My question is...why is it that no matter when Easter falls the dogwood trees always seem to bloom one week before it?

1 Comment
2024/03/24
21:19 UTC

10

Someone knows why does this happen? (Copernicia prunifera)

I have seen this take place in multiple trees in my country Brazil, and searched everywhere but could not find a answer (not my picture btw, found it at: CARNAUBEIRA TECNOLOGIAS DE PLANTIO E APROVEITAMENTO INDUSTRIAL)

7 Comments
2024/03/24
14:46 UTC

5

Plant science major…can’t decide what to pursue.

I live in Southern California and need to stay in the area as I have commitments here. I wanted to go to Uc Davis for my masters/phd but unfortunately that’s not doable as I need to stay in Southern California…next best thing will be UC riverside but I’m torn on what to study: plant biology, plant pathology (PhD program is fully funded) or entomology(UC Riverside ranks #2)

I still have a year to decide, but I’m just torn. Plant pathology really interests me as I’m also into plant breeding etc. But entomology is also very fascinating. Then there’s plant biology but not sure what jobs there are in that field.

My end goal is to teach or hoping to get a well paying job (85k-200k) in the field. Los Angeles county currently pays senior pathologist 85k-115k.

1 Comment
2024/03/24
17:02 UTC

7

Where do you find detailed plant information?

I often want to know details about a plant such as its average life span, does it flower based on photoperiod, is it self-pollinated, etc. Wikipedia SOMETIMES has what I want and everything else is useless SEO bullshit. Where can I find a very detailed catalog of plant information for this stuff? Books maybe?

4 Comments
2024/03/24
17:09 UTC

1

Is the root crown/rhizome of a blackberry plant botanically considered to be wood?

The massive ball which the main canes of a blackberry plant sprout from appears to be very wood-like, is it classified as wood? Or if not, does it have the same/similar cell structure as wood?

0 Comments
2024/03/24
17:09 UTC

1

Calculating gravimetric water content of plants?

Hi all. I am doing a study in which I calculate the gravimetric water content of soils and well as plants. To calculate soil gravimetric water content, the formula is (mass of wet soil - mass of dry soil) / mass of dry soil However, when I use this same formula for plant stems, using the same oven drying technique, I get more than 100% total water content for the final plant water value. Should I be using a different formula than the soils?

1 Comment
2024/03/24
17:48 UTC

1

Do pepper plants have oil glands in their leaves?

There are transparent/translucent brilliant dots, scattered on pepper leaves (visible against strong source of light), do peppers have oil glands, like citruses or mint? if not oil glands, what are those structures? 'just' some transparent parts of the leaves with no particular purpose?
pepper is some kind of capsicum annuum

leaf (younger) of capsicum annuum against light

leaf (older) of capsicum annuum against light

0 Comments
2024/03/23
19:28 UTC

1

What causes the colours of rainbow eucalyptus bark?

What causes the rainbow eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta) to have such vibrant bark colours?

I'm having trouble finding the answer to this. I don't want the answer that every website seems to give of "the bark peels and then it's a new colour," I am asking about which compounds cause the colours and why they change when exposed to air.

0 Comments
2024/03/23
02:03 UTC

7

Serious science question!

Reading this amazing book. I’m only on page 20 and have learned so much already but even better I have so many questions I’ve never thought of before… Here it is. Chlorophyll used for photosynthesis absorbs blue and red light ( whatever wavelengths these are) resulting in, the reflecting back of the other light wavelengths which in turn give the leaf its green pigment. (According to the book)

-wavelengths as I seem to understand, is energy ( I’m not a science person sorry 😞, this is my understanding so far).

Question, when we pick a nice green leaf and cover it in a nice varnish or light wax, so we preserve the colour, are we trapping light energy?

Does this make sense even?

If yes, how can that energy be released? Burning it so that no more colour exists?

I know black holds heat ( go to the beach on a sunny day and wear black, I stay warm, put on a white shirt and I’m cooler)

When I close the book for years and open it up again to see the leaf still green, is that because I’ve trapped the chlorophyll and the the light can penetrate the varnish to absorb red and blue again and reflect back the other wavelengths making the leaf appear green, or was the colour ( light wavelength blue and red) trapped there all along?

2 Comments
2024/03/23
01:38 UTC

1

Botany basics?

Hi guys!! I’ve been wanting to learn more about botany, as I know close to nothing. Can anyone recommend any resources to learn about the basics of this science? Thank you! ☺️

0 Comments
2024/03/22
03:48 UTC

2

What is, with as much certainty as possible, the most toxic flowering plant in the world?

I'm doing research for something and it's really hard to narrow it down. The top contenders seem to be belladonna, rosary pea, oleander and wolfsbane, but I'm getting conflicting information that makes it hard to determine which one is THE worst. It might not be any of these but I'm keeping them in mind anyway.

To be clear, I'm specifically looking for plants that grow flowers, and I'm measuring by how easily an individual plant can kill an adult human (I've seen people judge it by which would need the least amount of plant material to off a guy, but again, conflicting info)

3 Comments
2024/03/20
12:09 UTC

1

Florida Botany and Hiking near New Smyrna

Hi, I'll be visiting new smyrna in a week to see some family. I'll have quite a bit of free time to explore and I'm looking for some recommendations. I'd like to see some orchids (duh), but I'm looking for any interesting ecosystems outside of the shoreline. I know I'll be visiting the cape canaveral area quite a bit with fam... so what preserves, state parks, national forests, etc., should I be visiting?

I am only interested in taking photos and observing, so if you have any sensitive info you don't want to put on blast, feel free to dm me. I'd be happy to share my iNat profile with you to help prove my intentions.

Thank you in advance

0 Comments
2024/03/20
01:18 UTC

2

Papers or books about the relationship(s) between humans and plants?

Hi folks! I'm not sure if this is the right sub for this, but, I was wondering if anyone knows of research-based books/papers or studies about relationship(s) between humans and plants? Just trying to map out the space of this relationship for a thesis project :)

1 Comment
2024/03/19
21:28 UTC

3

Daffodils are Monocots?

I'm a botany newbie and just starting to look into taxonomic classification - finding it really interesting!

I've just learned that daffodils are monocots (long narrow leaves, single veined, etc...) but monocots have 3 petals typically, and daffodils have 6?

Can anyone explain this to me? Is it just an exception or something else? I am an absolute beginner so I apologise if this is really obvious.

Thank you!

2 Comments
2024/03/19
16:16 UTC

1

Discussion

I have a question for all of you experienced botanists out there. If a leaf that is dried and cracks under little pressure is set in water for an extended period of time and taken out will the weight change of the leaf that has been set in water thus being a result of the absorption of water?

0 Comments
2024/03/19
14:49 UTC

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