Università Roma Tre

Plant biodiversity: importance of its knowledge and its multiple uses. Systematics, taxonomic criteria and categories, nomenclature rules. Illustration of the main techniques of sampling, collection and identification of vascular plants. Methods for the preparation of herbarium samples. Analyses of the main characters with taxonomic value: roots, stem, leaves, flowers, pollen, fruits, seeds. General and systematic characters of ancestral and fossil Pteridophytes, actual Pteridophytes, Gimnospermae, Angiosperms-Dicotyledons, Angiosperms-Monocotyledons. Main morpho-structural differences of plant organisms in relation to their adaptations to different environment types (mountain, coast, dune, lake, river, rock, wall, city). Definition of the most representative and dominant species of the main plant communities of the Italian landscape.
Laboratory activities on the use of dichotomous keys, and exploration of the plant biodiversity by analysing spontaneous species for officinal and food use. Didactic excursions within Rome city and Lazio.

Pdfs of the lessons performed during the course and the using of the following books:

Judd, Campbell, Kellogg, Stevens, Donoghue. Botanica sistematica. Un approccio filogenetico. PICCIN
Pasqua, Abbate, Forni. Botanica generale e Diversità vegetale. PICCIN

The teacher receives Mon, Wed, Fri from 12.00 to 13.00 by appointment via email: simona.ceschin@uniroma3.it