Manalo, Katherine C.

November 3, 2023
BS PHARM 1-YA-3 PBOT111

Assignment 1 : Introduction to Pharmaceutical Botany

Answer the following questions. Cite your references.

1. Define the following terms:
a. Botany
• Botany is the scientific study of plants. It is a branch of biology that focuses on the
structure, function, classification, evolution, and ecology of plants.
b. Pharmacy
• also called pharmaceutics, is the art and science of preparing and dispensing drugs
and medicines.

c. Pharmaceutical Botany
• Pharmaceutical Botany is a discipline that studies the morphology, structure,
physiological function, classification, identification, cell tissues culture, resource
development and rational utilization of plants with medical and health care function.
d. Plants
• any living organism that typically synthesizes its food from inorganic substances. They
are multicellular, eukaryotic, usually photosynthetic life-form in the kingdom Plantae.

2. What are the contributions of Theophrastus in Botany?

• He wrote two seminal works in the field of botany called On the Causes of
Plants and On the History of Plants where he outlines the basic concepts of
morphology, classification, and the natural history of plants.
• He categorized plants based on their growth habits, studied their reproductive
processes, described their medicinal uses, and wrote extensively on plant anatomy
and physiology.

3. What are the divisions of Botany? Differentiate each.

• Phytomorphology - study of the physical form and external structure of plants
• Phytotomy - study of the internal structure of plants
• Plant Cytology – study of cells
• Histology - study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues
• Carpology - studies the structure of fruits and seeds
• Palynology - scientific study of spores and pollen
• Plant Physiology - concerned with the functioning, or physiology of plants.
• Plant Ecology - study of interactions among organisms and their environment.
• Plant Genetics - studies heredity and variation in the higher plants.
 • Plant Pathology – study of disease in plants
• Paleobotany – study of fossil plants
• Phytochemistry - study of the chemistry of plants and plant products
• Phytogenesis – concerned with the origin and evolution of plants.
• Phytogeography - study of the geographic distribution of plants
• Phytography - concerned with the detailed description of plants.

Sources
o Pelczar, R. M., Steere, W. C., & Pelczar, M. J. (1999b, July 26). Botany | Definition, History,
Branches, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/botany
o PHARMACY Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com. (2020). In Dictionary.com.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pharmacy
o Study Pharmaceutical Botany at China Agriculture Universities | BestEduChina. (n.d.).
http://www.besteduchina.com/pharmaceutical_botany.html#:~:text=Pharmaceutical
%20Botany%20is%20a%20discipline,medical%20and%20health%20care%20function.
o Woodwell, G. M., Dickison, W. C., Rothwell, G. W., Schmid, R., Yopp, J. H., & Lambers, H.
(1999, July 26). Plant | Definition, Evolution, Ecology, & Taxonomy. Encyclopedia
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/plant/plant
o Deepika. (2023, July 31). Father of botany contributions and history: CareerGuide.
https://www.careerguide.com/career/c/father-of-botany-contributions-and-history
o Theophrastus of Eresus | Encyclopedia.com. (n.d.).
https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-
maps/theophrastus-eresus