Key West Botanical Garden Society, Inc.
A Training Program for Docents
At the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
CURRICULUM
WEEK 1
Day 1 - Overview of class and Introduction to plant identification
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Program introduction, schedule, goals, and activities
Introduction to plant conservation
Basic morphology, descriptions, terminology
Important plant families & notable species
Safety and tool handling
Lab in garden
Day 2 - Botanical gardens
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Role of botanical gardens
KWTF&BG collection policy
Cataloging and accession
GPS & GIS
Lab in garden
WEEK 2
Day 3 - Big Pine Key, Florida Fish & Wildlife Refuge field trip
a)
b)
c)
d)
Habitats
Ecosystems
Role of fire in maintaining systems
Plant ID, including rare and exotic species
Day 4 - Invasive exotic plants
a)
b)
c)
d)
Biology and ecology of invasive plants
Impact of exotic plants
Identification of target exotic species at KWTF&BG
Control and monitoring of exotic plants
Key West Botanical Garden Society, Inc.
WEEK 3
Day 5 - Plant propagation and monitoring
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Seed biology
Seed processing & preparation; germination techniques
Other propagation techniques
Watering, fertilizing, disease control & hygiene
Monitoring
Practicum in the nursery with propagules including EPAC species
Day 6 – Lower Matecumbe field trip/Coastal Rock Barrens
a)
b)
c)
d)
Ecosystem
Conservation program
Seed collection techniques and protocols
Practicum at the site
WEEK 4
Day 7 - Teaching students to teach
a. Principles needed to discuss in tours
b. Refresher of various collections at KWTF&BG
Day 8 - Tour Practicum (each docent will lead a tour)
Useful Printed References
1. Austin, Daniel: Florida Ethnobiology, CRC Press
2. Austin, Daniel: Pine Rockland Plant Guide, 1997.
3. Bell, C. Ritchie and Taylor, Bryan J.: Florida Wildflowers and Roadside Plants, 1982.
4. Brown, Paul Martin: Wild Orchids of Florida, 2002.
5. Cech, Rick and Tudor, Guy: Butterflies of the East Coast, 2005.
6. Daniels, Jaret C.: Butterflies of Florida, 2003.
Key West Botanical Garden Society, Inc.
7. Falk, et al.: Restoring Diversity, 1996.
8. Gann, George; Bradley, Keith; Woodmansee, Steven: Rare Plants of South Florida,
2002.
9. Guerrant et al.: Ex-Situ Plant Conservation, 2004
10. Haehle, Robert C. and Brookwell, Joan: Native Florida Plants, 1999.
11. Hammer, Roger: Everglades Wildflowers, 2002.
12. Hammer, Roger: Florida Keys Wildflowers: A Guide to the Common Wildflowers of
the Florida Keys, 2004.
13. Hannau, Hans W. and Garrard, Jeanne: Flowers of the West Indies, 1974.
14. Hargreaves, Dorothy and Bob: Tropical Blossoms of the Caribbean, 1960.
15. Harrington, H.D.; How To Identify Grasses & Grasslike Plants, 1977.
16. Harris, James G. and Harris, Melinda Woolf: Plant Identification Terminology, 1994
& 2001.
17. Huber, Linda M.: Flowers of the Bahamas, 2002 & 2008.
18. Hull, Duane: Flowers, Plants and Trees of Bok Tower Gardens, 2008.
19. Judd, Walter S.; Campbell, Christopher S.; Kellogg, Elizabeth A.; and Stevens, Peter
F.: Plant Systematics: A Phylogentic Approach, 1999.
20. Minno, Marc C., Butler, Jerry F. and Hall, Donald W.: Florida Butterfly Caterpillars
and Their Host Plants, 2005. 21 Minno, Marc C. and Minno, Maria: Florida
Butterfly Gardening, 1999.
22. Nellis, David: Poisonous Plants and Animals of Florida and the Caribbean, 1997.
23. Nellis, David: Seashore Plants of South Florida and the Caribbean, 1994.
24. Nelson, Gil: The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida, 1996.
Key West Botanical Garden Society, Inc.
25. Scurlock, J. Paul: Native Trees and Shrubs of the Florida Keys, 1987, revised &
reprinted 2003.
26. Smith, Nathan; Mori, Scott; Henderson, Andrew; Stevenson, Dennis and Hald, Scott,
Eds.: Flowering Plants of the Neo- Tropics, 2004.
27. Van Allen, Flo: Fabulous Trees of the Fabulous Keys,1985.
28. Wright, Amy Bartlett: Caterpillars, 1993.
29. Wunderlin and Hansen: Guide to Vascular Plants of Florida, 2nd Edition, 2003:
30. Zomlefer, Wendy: Flowering Plant Families, 1994