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Plants in their various forms have been a major factor in human life and civilization since time immemorial. People have studied and domesticated them, using their unique characteristics to aid in our lives. Both botany and horticulture have to do with the study and care of plants, but they are different specialties.
Botany is a subset of biology. It focuses on the study of plants and their characteristics. This is the science that categorizes different plant types and learns about their reproductive systems, the process of photosynthesis, and how they adapt to different environments. A person who studies botany is called a botanist.
Horticulture is the study and art of raising plants. It’s a subset of agriculture. It’s focused more on practicality and the different ways to raise plants for food, resources, and decoration. A person who practices horticulture is called a horticulturist.
Key Takeaways:
| Botany | Horticulture |
|---|---|
| Botany is the scientific study of plants. | Horticulture is the study and practice of cultivating plants. |
| This science is a subset of biology. | This science and practice are a subset of agriculture. |
| There are approximately 400,000 land plant species in the world. | There are approximately 7,000 different types of cultivated plants. |
| Botanists can study plant biochemistry, plant pathology, cell structure, reproduction, and photosynthesis, among many other things. | Horticulturists will end up studying many similar things to botanists, such as disease, propagation, and environmental factors. However, it’s all focused on effective cultivation. |
| A botanist will make an average salary of about $50,500 per year. | A horticulturist will have a yearly salary of approximately $36,500. |
What Is Botany?
Botany, also called plant science, phytology, or plant biology, is the study of plants. The field of botany is vast, meaning that the majority of botanists specialize in a particular type of botany or a family of plants.
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Botany is a subset of biology. Biology is the study of all living things, and botany is a subset of that. It focuses on plants of all types. Botanists will study plant biochemistry, cell structure, reproduction, ecology, and evolution.
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It’s one of the oldest branches of science. The origins of botany extend back to herbalism and early agricultural attempts. Ancient peoples attempted to understand why certain plants had pain relieving or other medical effects and why certain plants worked better when attempting to encourage their growth.
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It sometimes also includes the studies of fungi and algae. While the study of fungi and algae has largely split off into mycology and phycology, respectively, it was originally under the umbrella of botany. However, the International Botanical Congress still includes mycologists and phycologists among its members.
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There are approximately 410,000 species of land plants. Plant life is one of the most diverse types of life out there. This doesn’t include the myriad underwater flora, as well as the numerous species we have yet to discover or categorize.
This is why the majority of botanists will select a specialty and focus on that. Trying to study the entirety of botany is impossible, especially if you’re seeking to go into any type of depth.
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There are many different specialties. As with other scientific disciplines, specialties have their own names. There’s a very long list, but here are a few.
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Palynology. This specialty focuses on pollen and spores.
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Agrostology. An agrostologist focuses on studying grasses.
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Dendrology. This discipline focuses on woody plants like trees and shrubs.
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Lichenology. This one is actually true to its name. Lichenologists study lichen.
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Plant pathology. As with general pathologists, plant pathologists study the spread of disease and its effect, just among plants.
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Plant ecology. A plant ecologist studies how plants interact with their environment and the interdependence of the ecosystem.
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What Is Horticulture?
Horticulture is the science of raising plants, as well as the practice. The reasons for it can be from practical to aetheric. Both someone who grows corn and someone who raises plants to be sold as houseplants are horticulturists.
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Horticulture is a subset of agriculture. Agriculture is the raising of plants or animals, but horticulture is specifically the raising of plants. This can range from crops to flowers to rubber trees.
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Horticulture was one of the earliest signs of a more complex civilization. Getting the knack for cultivating crops was how civilizations were able to grow and feed a larger number of people in a concentrated area.
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There are approximately 7,000 types of cultivated plants. Humans have been domesticating plants for thousands of years. Various different types of plants have different properties that are useful or appealing to us, leading to us learning to grow them.
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It can be used for different purposes. While food production is what springs to mind when you consider horticulture, it isn’t the only reason for the cultivation of plants.
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Food production. The number of foods grown is multitudinous. It includes grains, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. It can also include maple syrup, which is a collection of sap.
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Materials cultivation. Many different useful raw materials are gathered from horticulture. This includes timber, rubber, cork, and ingredients for drugs.
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Ornamental plants. There are numerous plants that are cultivated simply because they’re attractive. These include flowers, ornamental bushes, some types of trees, and houseplants.
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There are many subspecialties of horticulture. As there are so many different types of domesticated plants to cultivate, most horticulturists will specialize in one type.
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Floriculture. This type of horticulture specializes in growing flowers. Most often for florists.
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Olericulture. Someone who cultivates vegetables is an olericulturist.
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Silviculture. A silviculturist raises trees for lumber.
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Pomology. This is both the study of fruits and nuts and the practice of growing them. Orchardists are the most common example of this.
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Viticulture. A vineyardist practices viticulture. This is the practice of growing grapes, especially for making wine.
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Fungiculture. This is the practice of cultivating mushrooms. This can include edible mushrooms, like white button mushrooms or portobello mushrooms. Yeast is also a type of fungi that is cultivated.
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Landscaping. Gardens and yard cultivation are also a type of horticulture.
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Author
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
