Accelerated Taxonomy
Accelerating the characterisation and identification of plant and fungal species
Meet the departmentPlant Taxonomy Skills for Conservation
Learn taxonomy skills for conservation to independently conduct taxonomic work.
This expert-led course for plant scientists interested in developing their taxonomic skills, to undertake research such as taxonomic revisions, new species descriptions or floristic treatments. In addition, successful candidates will learn about a range of plant conservation outputs to increase the impact of their taxonomic work.
The course runs in a hybrid online/in-person format, with three weeks of online content and two weeks of practical learning, including the development of a taxonomy project in the local herbarium, and a one-day field trip to a local reserve.
This course is organised by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in collaboration with local universities or institutions. It aims to be held every year but each year in a particular region: Africa, Latin America and Asia. The course is supported by The Schroeder Foundation and The Mallinckrodt Foundation in 2022 (in Africa) and 2023 (in Latin America).
Who is the course designed for?
The course is tailored for plant scientists interested in developing their taxonomic skills, to undertake research such as taxonomic revisions, new species descriptions or floristic treatments. In addition, successful candidates will learn about a range of plant conservation outputs to increase the impact of their taxonomic work.
What does the course include?
Students will benefit from remote access to online content, and one-on-one teaching with Kew experts in taxonomy and conservation.
Successful applicants will receive financial support to cover transport, accommodation and visa expenses for travel to attend the in-person modules, and necessary equipment will be provided by the organisation (such as hand lenses and bibliography). Participants are encouraged to bring their personal laptops.
Course breakdown
- Weeks 1–3: Online Modules
- Plant Systematics
- Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Herbarium and Type specimens
- Plant Morphologies
- Imaging and online taxonomical resources
- Databasing
- Geo-referencing and mapping
- Molecular phylogenetics
- Taxonomic and conservation outputs: revision, descriptions, keys, monograph, red listing etc.
- Weeks 4–5: In person Module
- Herbarium Taxonomy project: character matrix, morphological data mining, identification key construction, writing up taxonomic outputs and presentation
- One-day field trip: technical skills for plant specimen collection
How to apply
Applications for 2023 (Latin America) are now closed
Application requirements for 2023 Latin America
Applicants must be citizens and residents of Latin American countries. The course will be taught mainly in English and Spanish, therefore fluency in English is desirable.
If you have any questions, please email sciencetraining@kew.org, with the subject "Plant Taxonomy Course: Question".
The Herbarium
Kew’s Herbarium contains around seven million preserved vascular plant specimens. These specimens contain a wealth of information about plants that have been collected around the world over the past 170 years.
Discover our Herbarium