What is Botany?

Plants play a vital role in our daily lives. Directly or indirectly they provide us with food, fibre and shelter and the oxygen we need to breathe is only produced by plants, algae and cyanobacteria. We power our motor vehicles and electricity supply with fossil fuels that were once marine algae or ancient forests.

Botany, also known as Plant Science, is the study of plants and their interactions with other organisms and the environment, this includes ecological restoration and conservation. As well as studying species that are familiar to gardeners, orchardists and farmers some botanists study lower plants, marine and freshwater algae, cyanobacteria and fungi.

Plant form and colour have inspired both art and architecture and important innovations from steel reinforced concrete to Velcro are often copied from plant structures.