Botany

• Plants provide us with food, fiber, shelter, medicine, and fuel
• Green plants produce the basic food for all organisms and release oxygen during the process
• The study of plants, called botany, is one of the world's oldest natural sciences
• Initially, Botany included all plant-like organisms such as algae, lichens, ferns, fungi, and mosses along with actual plants
• Plants are the major source of life on earth, providing food, oxygen, and raw materials for various purposes
• Theophrastus was hailed as the "Father of botany" for his contributions to plant studies
• Dioscorides wrote De Materia Medica, a guidebook on medicines from plants
• Robert Hooke invented the microscope in 1665, allowing a closer look at plant cells
• Stephen Hales established plant physiology as a science in 1727
• Botany became widespread among educated women in the 1760s, focusing on plant healing properties
• Chlorophyll was discovered in 1818
• The study of plants continues to understand plant structure, behavior, and cellular activities for better crops and medicines
• Plants produce oxygen, convert carbon dioxide into sugars, and are the source of food, medicines, and biofuels
• Plants are diverse and have various characteristics
• Sub-disciplines of Botany:

  • Plant Anatomy: study of internal structures of plant organs
  • Plant Morphology: study of the physical form and external structure of plants
  • Plant Physiology: study of plant functions and behaviors
  • Plant Taxonomy: science of classifying and naming plants
  • Plant Geography: study of how and why plants are distributed
  • Plant Ecology: examines plant relationships with the environment
  • Plant Breeding: changing plant traits to produce desired characteristics
  • Economic Botany: interaction of people with plants
• The epidermis is the outermost layer of cells that covers all plant organs.