Office: Hensill 451 — patters@sfsu.edu — 415-338-1237
Student Assistants — Sheryl Creer; Haley Smith
Texts and Required Materials:
Baldwin, et al. — The Jepson Manual of California Plants, 2nd edition (required) — do not buy the 1st edition
Simpson — Plant Systematics (required)
Borror — Dictionary of Word Roots (optional)
Plant Family Reader — from GSCB (required)
Hand lens (required)
Lanyard for hand lens (optional, but you're asking for trouble if you don't have one)
Single edged razor blades (optional, and we provide them in class)
Grading: A multifaceted, ambitious affair consisting of:
- Two lab midterms (each with 2 parts):
- Identification of plant families, community dominants, and other important taxa
- Keying native and weedy species
- One lab final similar in format to the midterms
- One written final
- One oral report to the class on your specialty group (wha?)
- Semi weekly quizzes, maybe
- Subjective appraisal of field performance and techniques
There are many reasons that people wish to take this course. Whatever your reason, remember that it is an upper division, 5-unit, Biology majors' course, and I will treat class members accordingly. Graduate students enrolled in upper division courses are expected to meet academic standards above the requirements for undergraduate students. An "A" grade in the course requires that you have mastered all facets of the material. Inasmuch as this is an upper division course, there is a prerequisite of having passed Biology 240 or its equivalent with a grade of “C” or better.
Principal Course Topics:- Identification of plants using a manual
- Fundamentals of phylogenetic inference
- Evolutionary relationships among California plant families
- California plant communities
- Plant structure and terminology
- Principles and practices of nomenclature