Requirements and Course Descriptions
Certificate in Native Plant Studies

Requirements

Core Courses: 6 courses  (80 hours of instruction). Basic Botany, Basic Ecology, Basic Horticulture, Plant Identification, Tree and Shrub Identification, and Principles of Landscaping.

Electives: 4 additional courses (hours vary) chosen from among various offerings.  Total additional elective hours will fall somewhere between 20 & 60, depending on what electives you choose.

Prerequisites: Basic Botany is required for all other classes, and therefore, will be the first course taken by anyone pursuing the certificate.  Some courses have other prerequisites—see individual course descriptions for requirements.

Participants who have taken and completed college level work in a similar course may, with permission of the program director, be able to exempt that course, except for Basic Botany.

Cost: $8 per contact hour.  Occasionally, there may be a supplemental cost for transportation on a non-local field trip or for special materials. Refund Policy: Once a payment is deposited we are not able to issue a refund.  However, if you must withdraw from a course before it begins, we will offer you credit towards future courses in the amount you paid for the withdrawn course. This credit does not have a time-limit.

Location: Most courses will be held at the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, McMillan Greenhouse.  A few will be taught at other local sites which will be listed for each course in the offerings schedule.

Course Descriptions:

Core Courses: All the core courses are offered at least once each year.  Botany is offered at least twice a year.  

Basic Botany (9 hours)– Plant kingdoms, structure and function, life stages, populations and ecotypes, flowers and plant reproduction will be covered.  This course will give the student a working vocabulary and understanding necessary for the remaining courses.

Basic Ecology (9 hours)–Species interactions, habitat and niche, yearly life cycle, succession in the Piedmont, and biomes in the Carolinas will be covered.  Prerequisite: Basic Botany

Basic Horticulture (9 hours)– Plant growth, environmental factors, diurnal cycle, propagation, and basic plant culture will be covered.  Prerequisite: Basic Botany

Plant Identification (Spring/Summer) (23 hours) – Plant and flower structure, use of keys, and field identification of primarily herbaceous plants will be covered.  Prerequisite: Basic Botany

Tree and Shrub Identification (Fall) (18 hours) – Leaf and twig structure, keys, field identification, and habitats will be covered. Prerequisite: Basic Botany

Principles of  Landscaping (12 hours) -  This course  is meant to bring together all you have learned from the other core courses and apply that to the practical realm of landscaping with native plants.  Basic landscaping principles will be covered and each participant will complete a simple design project.  Prerequisites: Botany, Horticulture, Tree & Shrub ID

Elective  Courses:  Electives are offered on a variable schedule, but at least 3 will be offered per year, beginning in 2010.  Course descriptions will be added for electives as they are scheduled.

Fantastic Fern Foray (10 hours) -  Ferns are fascinating and much-loved woodland plants – and yet, how does one begin learning to distinguish between the many species that are native to the Carolinas (there are actually more than 65!)  This class and field trip combination will serve as a primer to fern characteristics and identification techniques, plus be a great opportunity to see many species in the wild.  We will focus on about 20 species, including many of the most easy and desirable to grow.  The field trip will include 4 great fern sites in the mountains of North Carolina - in the Brevard, Looking Glass Falls, and Mt. Pisgah areas.

Other Electives being considered include:

• Winter Tree Identification
  
• Spring Flora of the Piedmont (advanced)
• Plant Conservation – biological and legal aspects, including Endangered and Threatened species
• Sustainability Practices in Landscaping
• Exotic Invasive Plants - eradication and substitution
• Practical Community Ecology – how to read the landscape
• Plant Propagation and Nursery Practices, including plant rescue techniques
• Natural Habitat Gardening—for study, beauty, and wildlife
• Wetland and Rain Garden Design and Planting
• Professional Techniques and Practices- restoration, delineation, surveying
• Professional Herbarium Techniques and Photographing for Plant Identification
• Natural Heritage Field Trips