Postgraduate Course: Taxonomy and Plant Collections (PLSC11014)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biological Sciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course develops expertise in taxonomy. Part science and part craft, an understanding of this fascinating discipline is essential to appreciating plant and fungal diversity. We develop herbarium skills among over 3 million specimens in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, exploring the myriad ways in which botanical and fungal collections support our understanding of diversity and learn the processes and approaches to recognising, describing and naming species - the fundamental 'units' of diversity. |
| Course description |
The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the crucial role of herbarium taxonomy in plant biology and its power and elegance as a technique to study plant diversity. By the end of the course, students will have the experience of working in a large international herbarium and the curatorial and taxonomic skills required for a career in curation or research. The course consists of an introduction, followed by a series of topics which are prerequisites for herbarium taxonomy. After preparation in a combination of practicals and lectures, students carry out a piece of herbarium research and write a Flora account of a small genus or family which forms the main part of the in-course assessment. The following subjects are covered: Plant collecting, curation, nomenclature of wild and cultivated plants, the production and uses of taxonomic tools, monographs, floras, checklists, keys, and databases.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 35,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
136 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Introductory assessment (20%) - a 'treasure hunt' for taxonomic and nomenclatural information across digital archival resources [LO1].
Flora exercise (80%) - an immersive, complete herbarium and archive project writing an account for a group of plants for a Flora [LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5]. |
| Feedback |
Introductory assessment - Written summative feedback for final grade.
Flora exercise- Written summative feedback for final grade. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand how plant names are constructed and used, and critically assess why they change.
- Critically apply the principles of organisation, classification, curation, and management of herbarium collections.
- Critically evaluate taxonomic revisions, floristic accounts, and online taxonomic resources.
- Apply specialised technical language used in taxonomic research to identify plants using identification keys, describe plants using technical formal descriptions, and to produce technical floristic accounts.
- Confidently use and critically assess identification keys, and produce original ones, applying technical language and principles.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course develops and supports the full range of graduate mindsets across Enquiry and lifelong learning, Aspiration and personal development and Outlook and engagement.
This course develops and supports graduate skills, with emphasis across each of Research and enquiry, Personal and intellectual autonomy and Personal effectiveness and Communication. This course develops that skillset throughout, culminating in a herbarium research assessment that draws a wide range of evidence together to address a real taxonomic problem.
This course and its assessments emphasise skills development in: Analysis, Evaluation, Critical Analysis, Problem Solving, Communication, Autonomy, Teamwork and Accountability. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alex Twyford
Tel: (0131 6)50 5455
Email: Alex.Twyford@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Madeleine Ferris
Tel: (0131 6)50 8649
Email: mferris@ed.ac.uk |
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