Tejon Ranch Plant Identification Workshop

This is a 3-day CNPS introductory workshop, including 2 days of classroom presentations/exercises and 1 full day in the field on Tejon Ranch. We will begin with basic plant morphology, focusing on structures necessary for plant ID. Participants will learn the specialized terminology necessary to identify plants in 15 common California plant families. These families contain more than 5000 taxa, which account for more than 70% of the plant diversity in California. Learning the characteristics of these plant families will reduce the amount of time required to key many plants to genus and species. We will utilize live material and taxonomic keys to better understand morphology in each family. Scientific names, along with common names, will be used throughout the workshop. Emphasis will be placed on common groups of plants in Southern California; however, information learned in this class will be readily applicable throughout California and the world. Common native families, genera, and species will be covered, including species in riparian, oak woodland, chaparral, and grassland habitats. Materials on basic plant morphology will be provided in advance.

Instructor, Nick Jensen is currently a Ph.D candidate in botany at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG)/Claremont Graduate University. His research interests include biogeography, rare plant conservation, and biodiversity.  Instructor, Sandy Namoff is also a graduate student at RSABG, investigating evolutionary processes that have shaped the California bindweeds, Calystegia. She is also interested in conservation genetics and is evaluating the population dynamics of Calystegia stebbinsii, a rare edaphic endemic of the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

Cost:  CNPS Members $395.00; Non-Members $415.00

For more information:  https://www.cnps.org/cnps/education/workshops/2017/0418_intro_plant_id.php