12818 - Plant Biology

Academic Year 2007/2008

  • Docente: Luisa Forlani
  • Credits: 3
  • SSD: BIO/15
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Scientific Information on Pharmaceutical Products (cod. 0037)

Learning outcomes

This teaching aims to provide the basics of plant biology (cell, tissues, organs) and, furthermore, outlines of systematic, concerning the main officinal plants and their employment.

Course contents

INTRODUCTION

Classification of living creatures : Prokaryots and Eukaryots. Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia.

Classification of vegetals : Thallophyte and Cormophyte. Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta (Gymnosperms and Angiosperms).

Importance of vegetals.

CYTOLOGY

Cellular theory. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell. Vegetal eukaryotic cell : shapes, sizes and compartmentalizations. Cell wall in Plants : structure and functions; middle lamella, primary wall, secondary wall; secondary modifications of wall. System of vacuoles : structure and functions; including solids and products of secondary metabolism. Plastids : types and functions. Chloroplasts, Chromoplasts, Leucoplasts. Primary and secondary starch. Starches of F.U.I.

HISTOLOGY

Colonies, pseudo-tissues, tissues. Meristematic tissues; dermic tissues; parenchymatic tissues; mechanical tissues; secreting tissues.

ORGANOGRAPHY

The whole plant; herbaceous planta, woody plants (trees and shrubs); vital cycle of plants.

Root, Stem and Leaves : functions, external organization and anatomy.

Flowers, Fruits and Seed.

Plants of the Farmacopea Ufficiale Italiana (Italian Official Pharmacopoeia).

MONOGRAPHS :

A plant's essay.

Readings/Bibliography

TEXTS/BIBLIOGRAPHY

VENTURELLI F. and VIRLI L., 1995 – Invito alla Botanica. Ed. Zanichelli

Teaching methods

The course will be integrated with exercises in lab aiming to provide informations for recognizing the main vegetal structures and with visits to the Botanical Garden aiming to recognize some of the main plants pharmaceutical interesting.

Assessment methods

Oral exam.

Teaching tools

PC, overhead projector, labs with one-seat optical microscopes .

Office hours

See the website of Luisa Forlani