PLANT FAMILIES OF CALIFORNIA: A MEDICINAL PERSPECTIVE

PLANT FAMILIES OF CALIFORNIA: A MEDICINAL PERSPECTIVE

Learning to recognize plants by their family characteristics is a great way to begin making sense of the “wall of green” you might be accustomed to seeing on your hikes in the outdoors. Like members of your own immediate family, closely related plants generally share similar physical features. In addition, these plants often share similar chemical traits and thus related medicinal attributes as well. For these reasons it is a worthwhile endeavor to devote time to learning about such plant groupings. The first part of the day will consist of a lecture/slideshow highlighting the basic taxonomic and chemical characteristics of selected medicinal plant families. Later in the day we will put our identification skills to the test during afternoon field outings to nearby parks and gardens. Edible/medicinal uses, harvesting ethics, at-risk plants, preparation methods, and botanical safety issues are a few of the topics which will be addressed on our walks together. Hands-on activities will include: microscope sessions, sensory learning: smelling/tasting, as well as interactive tips on how to successfully identify plants using regional plant floras.


Dates/Time: (10am-5pm)

Session I: July 17
Session II: July 24
Session III: August 1

Instructor: Tellur Fenner

Location:
Blue Wind Botanical Medicine Clinic
823 32nd Street Apt. B
Oakland,CA

Make sure to bring: Water, lunch, notebook, and a camera.
Optional: Hand lens, The Jepson Manual by Hickman

Registration:
Phone: 510-428-1810
Email: bluewindbmc [at] gmail.com
Website: http://www.bluewindbmc.com