Who is a botanist and what do they do? A botanist carries out research into the vegetable kingdom, including its development, its systematic description, and participates in its protection. The results of the botanist’s work are used in environmental studies and breeding practice, in agriculture, forestry, hygiene, but also in town and country planning. A botanist may find job opportunities at scientific institutions with a biological specialisation, at breeding institutes, at governmental natural conservation institutions, at universities, museums, in forestry practice, in landscape gardening, pharmacy, phytotherapy and in other areas.
What are the activities of the botanist? Perhaps the most frequent field work of a botanist is the collection of plants and seeds. She/he collects and analyses pollen and microspores during the process of determination of allergenic species occurrence, in monitoring risk factors in the environment. She/he examines vegetation in national parks, in ecologically disturbed locations or in the fields, where crops are raised. S/he often also takes pictures of the plants during field work. She/he records the occurrence of plant associations, identifies, compares and classifies plant species. She/he preserves and records what has been found, and supplements and prepares plant collections.
Where is it done and under what conditions? In the open air during field work and in laboratories.
What tools/equipment do the botanist use? A botanist needs special aids for the collection of plant material. In laboratories, apart from optical and laboratory equipment, increasingly also information technology is used.
What do you need to succeed? You need to have completed university studies at a Faculty of Science, preferably with a specialisation in biology or directly in botany or environmental protection. Many experts specialising in studies of flora are graduates of an agricultural college. The qualifications for the botanist’s work may be acquired also at faculties focused on forestry or ecology.