Forest Botany

1st SEMESTER

At the exercises during the fall semester, students are introduced to the basics of microscopy and the body structure of plants.
The exercises are conducted in the laboratoratory in several groups, depending on the number of students.
The syllabus is composed of three units (Cytology, Histology, Anatomy of vegetative plant organs) divided into 15 exercises:

1. Allium cepa L. - a part of epidermis of scaly leaves of a bulb
   
2. Elodea Canadensis Rich. - rotational cytoplasm movement
   
3. Trandescantia viridis - the structure of stomata
   
4. Fagus sylvatica L. - the structure of a dorsiventral leaf
   
5. Pinus nigra Arnold - the anatomy of a concentric leaf
   
6. Aristolochia macrophylla Lam. - the structure of dicotyledonous-gymnospermous stem
   
7. Zea mays L. - the structure of monocotyledonous stem
   
8. Iris sp. - the structure of root
   
9. Sambucus nigra L. - the structure of periderm
   
10. Pinus nigra Arnold - cross section of a coniferous tree
    
11. Pinus nigra Arnold - radial section of a coniferous tree
    
12. Pinus nigra Arnold - tangential section of a coniferous tree
    
13. Tilia cordata Mill. - cross section of a deciduous tree
    
14. Tilia cordata Mill. - radial section of a deciduous tree
    
15. Tilia cordata Mill. - tangential section of a deciduous tree
    

2nd SEMESTER

During the summer semester the exercises are conducted outside the classroom where the students are introduced to a great number of vegetal species that come in various vegetal clusters.

The first field exercise is conducted on the territory of Park forest Maksimir. Students are led into the ways and methods of determination of vegetal species, the way of collecting plant specimens and arranging them into herbaria. Flora of lowland-forests is studied.

The second field exercise is conducted on the territory of Staro Brestje-Novoselec-Sesvete forest where the flora of highland-forests is studied.

The third field exercise is conducted on the territory of the nature reserve Medvednica where the students study the flora of numerous forest vegetal communities (from lowland to highland).

Field class is conducted on the territory of Samobor mountains (one day), and on the area of Gorski Kotar, the Croatian Littoral and Northern Velebit (two days).
During the field class, the students are introduced to the flora of a great number of hill-, highland-, sub Mediterranean- and Mediterranean-forest vegetal communities.

In the course of exercises and field class students collect the material for herbaria.