Local Flora: Spring/ Summer
BIO 351  2 Crs.
Course Syllabus

(Dr. John Rushin, Professor of Biology, Missouri Western State University)

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Required Books: Flora of Missouri by Julian Steyermark, provided
Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison, purchase at the Conservation Department office

* Flora of Missouri is essential for the identification of plants in this course and will be used during most of our class meetings.  I have several copies that I will make available for use by the class but I would also like to encourage any class member who can obtain this book to bring it to all class meetings for their own personal use. 

Course Grade Determination:
10% Plant Character Analysis and Identification Worksheets
30% Sight Identification Quizzes (2 Quizzes @ 15% each given along with the Midterm and Final Exams)
20% Midterm Exam
20% Final Exam
20% Plant Collection

Field Trip Attendance Policy:
Due to the field-oriented nature of Local Flora (Bio 351) it is imperative that students attend all field trips. Students enrolling in Bio 351 should have a strong desire to experience all of the unique Northwest Missouri habitats that this class will visit on field trips. Missed field trips are only acceptable in extreme circumstances. If a student only misses one field trip s/he will not be penalized. However, for the second and third missed field trips the student must:
    1. Make an independent visit to the site of the missed field trip, and
    2. Spend at least three hours exploring the area and studying its natural features, and
    3. Describe the major natural features, animals and plants observed in the area. A minimum
        of 15 plants growing in the area must be identified to genus and species. (No plants
        should be collected in public areas without the proper permit.)

All of the information required in no. 3 above should be put into the student field notebook and turned in with the final collection at the end of the course.  Failure to do steps 1, 2 and 3 above for a second or third missed field trip will result in a loss of 5% points from the final course average for each field trip(2nd and 3rd) missed. Any student missing more than 3 regularly scheduled field trips will receive a grade of "F" for the course.

Some Mid-term General Objectives with Concept Terms:

1. Understand scientific nomenclature and the phylogenetic hierarchy.  (Know the proper suffix for each level of the hierarchy.)
2. Distinguish among the various plant organs (vegetative vs. reproductive).
3. Describe the main flower structures and their functions.
sepals, petals, stamen, pistils, calyx, corolla, androecium, gynecium, anther, filament, carpel, ovary, ovule, style, stigma, pollen, seed, fruit, etc.
4. Explain the relationship between pollination and fertilization.
5. Distinguish among the various inflorescence types.
solitary (terminal), axial, spike, raceme, panicle, cyme, corymb, etc.
6. Distinguish among the various leaf and stem parts. leaf bud, terminal bud, leaf scar, lenticels, bud scale scars, petiole, blade, etc.
7. Explain how to collect, press, and catalog plants in a field notebook.  (Know the information on a herbarium card label.)
8. Explain the purpose of a herbarium and its general organization.
9. Demonstrate the ability to use a dichotomous key (Steyermark and others).
10. Distinguish between monocots (Liliopsida) and dicots (Magnoliopsida).
11. Distinguish among the following plant families based on field characteristics (Also be able to associate major genera with the correct family.): Liliaceae, Iridaceae, Polemoniaceae, Brassicaceae, Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Lamiaceae,
12. Identify by sight all plants on the list of Spring Plants (List I) using the scientific and/or common names on the list.

Some Final Exam General Objectives with Concept Terms:

1. Distinguish among the various fruit types: berry, drupe, hip, pome, achene, samara, acorn, nut, capsule, follicle, legume, sillicle (silique), etc.
2. Understand the basic pre-settlement vegetation patterns in Missouri and some of the main indicator species of each major habitat: Forest, Prairie, Wetland.
3. In addition to the Families from the Mid-term Exam, distinguish among the following families based on field characteristics: Onagraceae, Scrophulariaceae, Poaceae, Convolvulaceae, Solanceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Cornaceae, Apiaceae
4. Identify by sight all plants on the lists of Summer Plants (List II) and Woody Plants (List III) using the scientific and/or common names on the list.