Plant Systematics Course Series for Enthusiasts & Pros

Registration opens February 4, 2026

Ready to take your plant identification skills to the next level? N.C. Cooperative Extension in New Hanover County is offering a four-part Plant Systematics Course Series this March, designed for serious plant enthusiasts and green industry professionals who want to learn plant identification through structure and botanical terminology.

Led by Consumer Horticulture Agent Gabriella de Souza, this science-forward series will teach you the framework botanists use to classify plants—and give you repeatable identification skills you can use in the field, garden, or workplace.

Course Schedule

Date	Class	Topic	Plant Families Covered
Wednesday, March 4	Class 1	Foundations of Plant ID + Early Angiosperms (Magnoliids)	Lauraceae (laurels), Piperaceae (peppers), Annonaceae (custard apples)
Wednesday, March 11	Class 2	Monocots I — Grasses, Palms & the Commelinids	Poaceae (grasses), Arecaceae (palms), Zingiberaceae (gingers), Bromeliaceae (pineapples)
Wednesday, March 18	Class 3	Monocots II — Bulbs, Orchids & Bananas	Amaryllidaceae (onion family), Asparagaceae (asparagus family), Orchidaceae (orchids), Musaceae (bananas)
Wednesday, March 25	Class 4	Derived Eudicots — Nightshades, Mustards & Gourds	Solanaceae (nightshades), Brassicaceae (mustards), Cucurbitaceae (gourds)

All classes run from 10:00–11:00 AM at the New Hanover County Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington. Doors open at 9:50 AM. Free parking is available.

What to Expect

Each session includes a mini-lab component with observation-based practice, guided drawing, and labeling of diagnostic plant structures from provided specimens. You'll learn to identify key vegetative and floral traits that separate plant families—skills that translate directly to real-world plant identification.What to bring: An unlined sketchbook or journal and pencil or pen. A hand lens and colored pencils are optional but helpful.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for participants who want a science-heavy approach to plant identification. Whether you're an Extension Master Gardener volunteer looking to deepen your botanical knowledge, a landscape professional seeking to better understand the plants you work with, or simply a dedicated plant enthusiast ready for a challenge, this series will give you the diagnostic tools botanists use to classify and identify plants.Attendees under 18 are welcome with a parent or legal guardian.

Registration

Registration opens February 4, 2026. Register for individual classes or the full series:

Accommodations

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, NC State University will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Please contact Gabriella de Souza at gadesouza@ncsu.edu. Requests can be served more effectively if notice is provided at least 15 days before the event.

N.C. Cooperative Extension prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and veteran status.