The laboratory will consist mostly of demonstrations of material covered in lecture. You should be able to identify plant products in terms of their structure, name (common & scientific) and place members of major plant families in their correct family. Attendance is required, excused absences only.

Term paper: Students should select topics from list or discuss alternative topics with instructor. It is more efficient to use PC-based unformation retrival systems (AGRICOLA, SCI, etc.) to locate references. The paper should include but is not limited to: methods of cultivation, origin(s), distribution, related wild species, uses, economic importance (past and present) and associated human cultures. The paper should be type-written and at least 5 pages in length and contain at least five references in a "Literature Cited" section. Beware of using the www as your sole source of information, very few sites are externally reviewed and many contain numerous errors and falsifications. The paper is due 1 August.

What's that in your food? Prepare or obtain an unusual food. If you prepare it yourself, supply a recipe. Describe the cultural history of the dish and the major plant components (common and scientific names, origins, etc.). This information and any necessary warnings will be displayed with the dish. The dishes will be consumed by the class, T.A. and instructor. Consult with your T.A. before committing to a selection.

SUGGESTED TERM PAPER TOPICS

Absinthe
Almond
Alternative paper sources
Amaranth
Bamboo
Bananas
Brewing beer
Black-Eyed Pea or Cowpea
Bottle Gourd
Breadfruit
Buckwheat
Cacti
Carob
Carrot
Clove
Cocaine
Coconut
Construction of musical instruments
Cut Flowers
Favism
Genetic engineering of crop plants
Ground Covers
Hemp
Jojoba
Kiwi Fruit
Lettuce
Mandrake
Marijuana
Opium and derivatives
Orchids
Peyote
Pineapple
Purple coneflower
Quinoa
Sorghum
Strawberry
Sweet Potato
Sustainable agriculture
Taxol
Tamarind
Tee Tree Oil
Tomato
Tulips
Turf Grasses
Vanilla
Wine
Wood products
Yams

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