SYLLABUS

[Revised December, 2006]

 

Course: NATR 210. Dendrology

 

Instructor:

            Professor Hunter                    

            214 Charlton Hall

            684-6239

            hunternb@morrisville.edu

 

Objectives:

-          Understand plant nomenclature and classification

-          Identify, name and describe trees and other woody plants important in environmental disciplines

-          Learn plant and plant-site associations

-          Develop and use plant identification keys

-          Collect, identify and preserve leaf and fruit specimens from woody plants

 

Required Texts (available in the Campus Store):

-           Fruit and Twig Key” by Wm. M. Harlow (Bookstore)

 

-          Trees of the Northern U.S. and Canada” Farrar, Iowa State University Press

 

Recommended Literature and Resources:

 

-          The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees” Audubon Field

       Guide Series – Eastern and Western U.S.

 

-           A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs” Peterson Field Guide Series

 

-          Harlow and Harrar’s Textbook of Dendrology” by Hardin, Leopold and White; McGraw-Hill.

 

-          Computer resources: learning aides available on the Q: Drive – NRC – Dendro (read only access)

 

-          “Woody Plants in North America”: a 2-CD tutorial for native and ornamental plants in North America; www.kendallhunt.com/seiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Required Equipment and Supplies*:

-          Field clothes, including rain gear, hat, hiking boots

-          Field notebook with waterproof paper and/or cover, pencils

-          Pocket knife

-          Hand lens (Campus Store)

-          Index cards (4x6 or 3x5; color coded); dividers; and ring clip holder (Campus Store)

 

*Note: Most labs are field trips to natural areas that involve hiking, taking notes on the identification of woody plants, collecting leaf and fruit specimens and writing answers to quiz questions relating to plant identification. Labs are rarely cancelled due to bad weather. Hiking routes occasionally have a moderate to high degree of difficulty due to steep slopes, wet sites and other challenges.

 

Grading:

-          The course grade is based on a % calculated from points earned divided by      points given.

-          Field quizzes are comprehensive

-          The origin and approximate weighting of evaluation material is as follows:

 

     Evaluation Criteria                                 Approximate % of Grade

 

Classroom quizzes on lecture material

and/or reading assignments -------------------------------35

 

Field quizzes on plant identification ----- -------------- 50

 

Projects------------------------------------------------------ 15

                                                                                  _____

                                                                                     100

 

 

-          Lecture quizzes (typical):

-          15 - 20 points each; questions derived from previous lectures, reading assignments and review questions; typically cover a group of related topics, e.g. the maples

-          PowerPoint lectures available for study purposes on Q: NRC>NATR210

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-          Lab quizzes (typical):

-          5 to 12 quiz specimens per lab (20 – 48 points)

-          Field identification of woody plants

-          Common name (e.g. red maple), with a  grade value of 2 points

-          Scientific name (e.g. Aceraceae Acer rubrum): 1 point each for family and genus; 1 bonus point for the species

-          Total points for each quiz specimen = 4  (+ 1 point bonus if species is correct).

-          Beginning week #12, field quizzes will require common and Latin names for Gymnosperms, common name only for angiosperms

 

-          Project: Index Card File for Species Identification

-          Index cards: 3x5 or 4x6, preferably color coded

-          One card for each species

-          Title card with your name and course name

-          Common name and key descriptive information* on the front

-          * leaf, twig, bud, fruit, bark, form, habitat, other

-          Scientific name on the back

-          Organized by family or genus, with labeled dividers and/or color-coded cards for quick reference

-          Sources of information: field notes, field guides, fruit and twig keys; also Virginia Tech fact sheets

-          Hole-punched with ring binder (may wish to add a carabiner)

-          Due: week #13 at the beginning of the lab

-          Grade value and criteria: 100 points; complete, legible, accurate, organized, attractive.

 

Attendance:

-          Attendance and good note-taking are the foundation for success in this course

-          Students should make every effort to attend all classes; failure to do so could jeopardize their grade

-          Students are responsible for any class material (including lectures, labs, quizzes and tests) missed due to an absence

-          Any quiz or test missed due to an unexcused absence may be graded as a zero

 

Tests and quizzes that are missed without a valid excuse and permission from the instructor can be made up, under the following conditions: the student has a maximum of 3 days from the original test/quiz date to take a makeup test/quiz; a 10% grade reduction penalty will be applied for each day after the original test/quiz day that the makeup test/quiz is taken. For example, a student who takes a makeup test 2 days after the original test day and scores 80% will receive a grade of 80% - 20% = 64%.

Lecture Outline (Reading assignments from the required texts to be announced):

 

 

 

 

Part One: Fundamentals of Dendrology

 

I.                   Introduction to dendrology and the study of woody plants

A.      Definitions

B.      Scope

C.      Importance

D.      Information resources

 

II.                Classification and nomenclature

A.      History

B.      Taxonomic groups

C.      Common name

D.      Scientific name

E.       The Broadleaf Trees, Division Magnoliophyta

F.    The Conifers, Division Pinophyta

 

III.             Botanical features and terminology

A.      Leaves

B.      Twigs

C.      Buds

D.      Flowers

E.       Fruit

F.       Bark

G.      Form (habit)

H.      Ecology

 

 

Part Two: Important Woody Plants of North America

 

Note: The content and organization of this section are correlated with the laboratory field investigations. Labs focus on field identification. Follow-up lectures then review field identification and present important natural history information for the same plants and/or plant groups. Most species studied in the field will be discussed in the lecture (see the Species List for details). Angiosperms are emphasized in weeks 1 – 10, Gymnosperms in weeks 11 – 14.

 

Weeks 10 and 11 are transitional in nature. Students will be introduced to fruit and twig keys to aid in the identification of deciduous plants without leaves. Gymnosperms will be introduced and the groundwork laid for upcoming fieldwork and student presentations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Lecture Outline, Part II)

 

I.          Family

A.      Scope

B.      Importance

C.      Genera

 

II.                 Genus (Genera)

A.        Description

1.        Distribution

2.        Form

3.        Importance

4.        Botanical features

B.        Important species

 

II.                  Species

A.          Highlights

B.          Distinguishing characteristics

1.        Size/Form

2.        Leaves

3.        Twigs/Buds

4.        Flowers/Fruit

5.        Bark

6.        Wood

C.          Ecology

1.        Habitat

2.        Associates

3.        Reproduction

4.        Growth

5.        Tolerance

6.        Succession

7.        Limiting factors

D.          Importance

1.        Timber

2.        Wildlife

3.        Conservation

4.        Food

5.        Ornamental

6.        Other


 

Lab Outline:

 

Field trips, unless otherwise noted; approximately 110 trees and shrubs covered; average about 10 new plants per week.

 

1.        Campus Arboretum and Grounds ()

 

2.        Georgetown/Crane Lodge (; Bus)

 

3.        Equine Center (; Bus)

 

4.        Leland Pond Natural Area (; Bus)

 

5.        AQ Center (; Bus)

 

6.        Verona Beach State Park (; Bus)

 

7.        Oxbow Falls County Park (; Bus)

 

    *October Break ………………………………………………………

 

8.        ESF Arboretum, Jamesville (; Bus - 1:00 PM departure)

 

9.        Equine Center (White Farm;; Bus)

 

10.    Galbreath Farm ()

 

11.    Erieville (; Bus; Straight at intersection, west 3.7 miles to 2nd

       pullover)               

 

12.    Campus/Village (; Bus)

 

13.    Submit Card Project; Fruit and Twig Review; Fruit and Twig Keys

 

    *Thanksgiving Break …………………………………………………

 

14.    Fruit and Twig Review (; indoor lab)

 

15.    Final field quiz: gymnosperms (common and Latin names); angiosperms (common name only)

 


Literature:

 

1.          Barrett, J. W. Regional Silviculture of the U. S.

2.          Brockman, C. F. Trees of North America

3.          Clapham Jr., W. B. Natural Ecosystems

4.          Everett, T. H. Living Trees of the World

5.          Grimm, Wm. C. Recognizing Native Shrubs

6.          Grimm, Wm. C. The Book of Trees

7.          Harlow, Wm. M. Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs

8.          Harlow, Harrar and White Textbook of Dendrology

9.          Hunt, C. B. Natural Regions of the U. S. and Canada

10.      Lemmon, R. S. The Best Loved Trees of America

11.      Li, Hui-lin Trees of Pennsylvania, the Atlantic States and the Lake States

12.      Little, E. L. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees, Eastern Region; Western Region

13.      Lovric, M. The Forests – a Celebration of Nature, in Word and Image

14.      Petrides, G. A. A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs

15.      Preston Jr., R. J. North American Trees

16.      Society of American Foresters (SAF) Forest Cover Types of the U. S. and Canada

17.      Strausbaugh, P. D. and Core, E. L. Flora of West Virginia

18.      USDA, Forest Service Shrubs and Vines for Northeastern Wildlife

19.      USDA, Forest Service Silvics of Forest Trees of the U.S.

20.      Walker, L. C. Trees – An Introduction to Trees and Forest Ecology for the Amateur Naturalist

 

 

Internet Resources:

 

            www.Arborday.org

 

            www.treesforlife.org

 

            www.neartica.com

 

            www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/factsheets.cfm

 

            www.hardwood.org

 

            www.wellesley.edu

 

            http://nyflora.org/atlas/atlas.htm

 

            www.canr.uconn.edu/plsci