What is the study of plant life called?

The study of plant life is called botany. It is a branch of biology that examines plants’ structure, classification, evolution, physiology, reproduction, ecology, and relationships with their environments.

The word botany comes from the Ancient Greek botanē, meaning pasture, herb, grass, or fodder. Early plant study grew out of herbalism: people needed to identify plants that were edible, poisonous, useful as medicine, or suitable for cultivation. Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and student of Aristotle, is often called the father of botany.

Modern botany covers subjects ranging from plant anatomy and taxonomy to molecular genetics and plant disease. Its practical applications include agriculture, forestry, horticulture, pharmacology, conservation, and climate research. Related specialties include dendrology, the study of woody plants; bryology, the study of mosses and liverworts; and palaeobotany, the study of fossil plants.