Tropical Plant Families of Southeast Asia

MSc - level course June-July 2009

	This page is to inform you about a course run by the NHN-Leiden. It provides information for biologists and other interested persons without a botanical background about the program, data, costs, the exam and contact persons. Why? Target group Program Duration, period and location Costs Exam More information and subscription
Shorea balangeran (Korth.) Burck (Dipterocarpaceae) Photograph by M.M.J. van Balgooy	Download leaflet (PDF)

Why a course on the flora of Southeast Asia?

Southeast Asia is one of the hotspots of global biodiversity: it contains more than 40.000 vascular plant species with a density ten times higher than the European flora. The region is home to many well-known and important plant groups, like rice, rattan, bananas, rambutan, nutmeg, meranti and yam.

The botanical biodiversity of Southeast Asia is being documented in an international project, coordinated by the NHN-Leiden: Flora Malesiana. One of the aims of the Flora Malesiana project is the knowledge transfer of plant diversity. That is why this course has been set up.

Target group

The recognition of many plant groups in the field is often problematic during collection expeditions, when compiling ecological inventories, for animal behaviour and ethnobotanical research and for pollination and dispersal studies. Species diversity is high, only few plants are flowering and good Floras are often not yet available. This course is initiated for undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in the botanical wealth of Southeast Asia. You will learn how to make good plant collections, how to describe field characters and how to recognize some important plant families. You can get help with the identification of previously collected material, too.

At the beginning of the course the necessary botanical terms will be explained. Therefore, anthropologists and environmentalists, as well as biologists will also be able to follow the course. If foreign participants are present, lectures will be given in English.

Program

The participants will learn to recognise a selection of economically and ecologically important plant families with the help of generative (flower and fruit) and vegetative (leaf and bark) characters. Generally, two or three plant families will be treated per day. Specialists, working at the NHN-L will give lectures with ample illustrations about plant families of that day and some important genera. In addition to the traditional floras, participants will also learn to use internet keys and several CD-ROMs (An interactive key to Malesian Seed plants, orchids, legumes, and ferns).

During the practicals the participants will be able to examine living, herbarium and alcohol preserved material. During excursions to the tropical greenhouses of the Leiden Botanical Garden attention will be paid to collection techniques and field characteristics.

Duration, period and location of the course

The course is given once every two years and lasts for 3 weeks, fulltime (120 credit hours - 5 EC). The next course will be given:

JJanuary 12-30 2009.

Lectures and practicals will be given at the NHN-L, Van Steenis Building, Einsteinweg 2, Leiden, The Netherlands. This location is c. 15 minutes walking distance from Leiden Central Station (see map).

Costs

The costs of the course are EUR 25 (syllabus) for students of the Dutch Research Schools Biodiversity and Functional Ecology, and EUR 660 for others (costs for accommodation and air fare are not included).

Accommodation

Information on accommodation can be obtained from the following websites:

www.booking.com/leiden

www.hotels.nl/leiden

Exam

The course will end with a recognition exam. The participants will be expected to be able to identify 30 selected collections to the genus level. All participants who pass the exam will receive a certificate of the Research School Biodiversity.

More information and subscription

The number of participants is limited to a maximum of 25 due to the limited amount of practical material.

Don't wait to long to subscribe!

For more information please contact:

Dr. Paul J.A. Kessler
or
Dr. M.C. Roos

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Last modified juli 01, 2008 by P. Hovenkamp