Herbarium Taxonomy (P01318)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : BIO-P-HT

The course consists of an introductory lecture followed by a series of topics which are prerequisites for Herbarium taxonomy, covering Botanical nomenclature, the History of Botanical Illustration, Floras, monographs and revisions, the history of the Herbarium at RBGE, the preparation and curation of herbarium collections.

After 8.5 days of preparation by means of a combination of practicals and lectures the students carry out a piece of original curation and make a short presentation at an internal seminar. The course culminates in a piece of original personal research called the "mini-revision" in which students use the knowledge of Herbarium taxonomy they have gained from the course to carry out their own critical investigation and revision of a taxonomic group.

This course is a core component of the MSc BTP programme, offering a unique, vocationally-relevant insight and experience in herbarium collection, management and use.

During this 20-point course, students make intensive use of the resources of a top-level international herbarium that provides a professional service to the wider botanical community. To minimise disrupton of this professional work the course must be taught as an intensive block in Semester 1 Block 1.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : BSc or equivalent in Biology or another approved subject Permission of the Course Organiser

? Costs : none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate, (School of Biological Sciences, Schedule K)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Block 1 only

? Contact Teaching Time : 10 hour(s) per week for 5 weeks

? Additional Class Information : The course will be taught as a block in weeks 2 through 6 of Block 1.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The student will understand the crucial role of herbarium taxonomy in plant biology and the power and elegance of herbarium taxonomy as a technique to study plant diversity. By the end of the course the student will have had the unique experience of working in a large international herbarium and will have gained the basic curatorial and taxonomic skills required for a career in herbarium curation or research on plant systematics.