Developing a botanical key for tree and shrub identification

Abstract

Within the Teaching Innovation Project 2015-2-2003, we developed and published a botanical key for the identification of the trees and shrubs of the Rabanales Campus. This teaching material is being used as a support for laboratory practices and overall on out-of-classroom exits around the Campus, to the field or to urban green spaces. They collect the main woody species (native and cultivated) of the zone. The elaboration of the keys was made based on the form and characteristics of the vegetative organs (leaves, branches and trunk) to facilitate its use at any time of the year. Two versions were developed, one in Spanish and one in English (Key for identifying trees and shrubs) for subjects of the bilingual modules, or for UCO foreign students. These keys are facilitating to the students an autonomous learning in the identification of vegetal species.