Introduction to Botany


Botanists are individuals who conduct extensive study on plant biology - from the simple to the most complex plant organisms; studying all aspect of an individual plant or an entire ecology. Many botanists are involved in a broad range of activities including academic, both teaching and researching (Including field and laboratory studies). In a strict sense, botany is the pure science involved with the investigation of the basic nature of plants.

Various aspects of botany have direct importance to human advancement and welfare. Fields such as horticulture and forestry are closely interrelated to basic botanical studies. Pharmacology and agronomy, however, are not as closely related, but still rely on basic botanical knowledge.

The Beginning of Botany

Botany, as a science, was first conducted in the 4th century BC by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus. His treatises on the morphology, classification and reproduction of plants were extremely influential on the discipline until the 17th century. Modern botany was developed around the 16th century, in part by the invention of the microscope in 1590.

The Greeks believed that plants obtain their nourishment from the soil only, however, during the 17th century, Belgian Scientist Jan Baptista Van Helmont demonstrated that soil is not the main contributor of plant weight. English chemist Joseph Priestly demonstrated that growing plants "restored" oxygen lost in the atmosphere (18th century). Jan Ingenhousz, a Dutch physiologist extended this discovery by proving that light is required for plants to produce oxygen. These and other discoveries formed the basis for modern "plant physiology"; a branch of botany concerning basic plant functions.

Modern Botany

Botany is not necessarily dependent on the fossil record for information regarding classification and evolution. Unlike zoology, paleobotany, the study of plant fossil, is much less complete than that for animals. Paleobotany, however, has contributed greatly to the overall understanding of the interrelationships between the classes of seed plants.

HydroponicSearch.com is the net's only agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture search engine and educational community. For more articles and resources, visit us at http://www.hydroponicsearch.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Horticulture Is In Her Blood
Tampa Tribune, FL - 22 hours ago
"That's too much of drinking water on landscaping." She also supervises 48 master gardeners, who are essentially volunteers trained by the extension service ...


Weekly Vista

Garden stores have plenty to offer during winter season
Weekly Vista, AR - Nov 26, 2008
But, on the contrary, there are many things available at garden shops that are viable year-round. Village Garden and Landscaping At Village Garden and ...


Landscape company lands coveted Bog Oak accolade
Belfast Telegraph, United Kingdom - Nov 10, 2008
By Margaret Canning A Belfast landscape gardening business has won a coveted award for its work on a private garden. Cameron Landscapes won the Bog Oak ...


Home & Garden Calendar
Asheville Citizen-Times, NC - Nov 28, 2008
WREATH-MAKING WORKSHOPS: 10 am and 2 pm Friday at Reems Creek Nursery & Landscaping, 70 Monticello Road, Weaverville. The 10 am session will be on how to ...


Georgina Garden Centre earns landscape awards
Georgina Advocate, Canada - Nov 26, 2008
The goal of the organization is to support, promote and educate everything horticultural, including gardening, landscape design, landscaping, and property ...


Carrying on a tradition of nobility
Petaluma Argus Courier, CA - Nov 26, 2008
True to his heritage, Hagiwara-Nagata has won landscaping and gardening awards, and has been actively involved in local and national projects. ...


Dallas Morning News

6 Fort Worth garden shops built their way up on a dream
Dallas Morning News, TX - Nov 19, 2008
These days he is designing tropical landscapes on golf courses, planting pots for Neiman Marcus and stocking an eclectic nursery with plants and garden ...


Coastal voices: Council thoughts on first week in office
Daily Triplicate, CA - Nov 29, 2008
See about some new design ideas to solve problems and then hand it off to their maintenance and landscaping people; or maybe connect them with gardeners to ...


Acadiana Gardening: Bradford Pear is a plant for all seasons
The Daily Advertiser, LA - Nov 29, 2008
A: Unless you are growing hybrid bananas for landscaping or for the fruit, there are few maintenance requirements. Common banana plants begin to look ratty ...


The Oregonian - OregonLive.com

Think it through before flying off to distant gardens
The Oregonian - OregonLive.com, OR - Nov 29, 2008
by Dulcy Mahar, Special to The Oregonian James Merrell/The New York TimesThe Northwest gardening scene has grown considerably more sophisticated in recent ...

landscaping gardening - Google News

home | site map
© 2006 TixProduction LLC