Botany

Arctic Lupine (Lupinus arcticus) in a meadow in Chugach State Park, Alaska. Credit: John J. Mosesso/NBII.gov

The Earth is host to more than 400,000 documented species of plant life. In turn, our planet depends upon these plants to nurture and sustain all living things. Plants play a critical role in the complex food web. Powered by light from the sun, carbon dioxide from the air, and nutrients from the soil, plants pass on this energy to the life forms that consume them. And for the human species, plants bring aesthetic pleasure, delighting the senses with their beauty and variety.
Botany is one of the oldest branches of biology. It is concerned with the scientific study of plants and other similar organisms. Within the discipline there are many areas of study including Paleobotany (the study of plant history through fossils), Physiology (the study of plant cells and tissues), Pteridology (the study of ferns), and Plant Pathology (the study of diseases in plants).

 http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt/community/botany/205