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<p><font size="3"><strong>Botany</strong> is the scientific study of plants. As a branch of biology, it is also called <strong>plant science(s)</strong>, <strong>[[phytology]]</strong>, or <strong>plant biology</strongfont>. Botany covers a wide range of scientific disciplines that study plants, algae, and fungi including: structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, and chemical properties and evolutionary relationships between the different groups. <br />
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<font size="3">As a branch of biology, it is also called <strong>plant science(s)</strong>, <strong>[[phytology]]</strong>, or <strong>plant biology</strong>. Botany covers a wide range of scientific disciplines that study plants, algae, and fungi. Its research fields includs: structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, and chemical properties and evolutionary relationships between the different groups. <br /><br />The study of plants and botany began with tribal lore, used to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants, making botany one of the oldest sciences. From this ancient interest in plants, the scope of botany has increased to include the study of over 550,000 kinds or species of living organisms.</font></p>
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Scope and importance of botany</font></span></p>
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<p>As with other life forms in biology, plant life can be studied from different perspectives, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, cells, tissues, organs, individuals, plant populations, and communities of plants. At each of these levels a botanist might be concerned with the classification (taxonomy), structure (anatomy), or function (physiology) of plant life.</p>
<p>Historically, botany covers all organisms that were not considered to be animals. Some of these "plant-like" organisms include fungi (studied in mycology), bacteria and viruses (studied in microbiology), and algae (studied in phycology). Most algae, fungi, and microbes are no longer considered to be in the plant kingdom. However, attention is still given to them by botanists, and bacteria, fungi, and algae are usually covered in introductory botany courses.</p>