''Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification'' is a book by Thomas J. Elpel published by HOPS Press, LLC. The book emphasizes

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

characteristics for

plant identification In biology, determination is the process of matching a specimen or sample of an organism to a known taxon, for example identifying a plant as belonging to a particular species. Expert taxonomists may perform this task, but structures created by ...

. Related plants typically have similar floral features and often similar uses. For example, plants of the mustard family (

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

) have four

petals Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...

with six

stamens The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

(4 tall, 2 short), and most or all of the 3,200 species are considered edible. The book is used as a text at universities, high schools, and herbal schools across North America. It is also recommended as a resource for the Nature

Merit Badge Merit badges are awards earned by members of Scouting America, based on activities within the area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to examine subjects ...

by the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. Although the text is primarily oriented towards North American plants, ''Botany in a Day'' has been used to identify plants in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America. As of 2010, there were more than 45,000 copies in print.Elpel, Thomas J. Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification. HOPS Press, 2010, p. ii.

References

External links

Online Tutorial: Learning to Identify Plants by Families
– official site
Learn Plants Now! (Book Review)Botany Every Day
{{DEFAULTSORT:Botany in a Day 2004 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Botany books