This Grasses, Sedges and Rushes course will give you an understanding of the difference between these species and how you can start identifying them.

This beginner/intermediate course will combine a mixture of field visits to a range of contrasting sites with classroom and lab sessions, allowing you to become confident with these three distinct groups. Grasses and grass-like plants form a key component of most plant communities yet are notoriously difficult to identify. Accurate identification is essential for site survey and management and a botanist’s skill is often judged by their ability to ‘do’ grasses, sedges and rushes. There will be an introduction to the flowering parts and vegetative features as well as the use of simple identification keys. This course will be a fun and engaging introduction with the support of like-minded individuals and an expert tutor.

What will be covered during this course?

• Introduction to botanical vocabulary
• Combination of seminars, laboratory identification sessions and practical fieldwork.
• Introduction to the characteristics of the grasses, sedges and rushes
• Comparative analysis of vegetative and flowering parts of grasses, sedges and rushes
• Using a range of dichotomous keys to identify species and strategies to identify

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Describe the differences between grasses, sedges and rushes
• Describe the flowering part and vegetative features of plants of these three families
• Identify a selection of common species using a range of dichotomous keys
• Explain how certain species are associated with certain habitats
• Share this knowledge with friends, family and fellow volunteers.

PLEASE NOTE the course fee is for tuition only. There is no accommodation provided with this course. If you would like to book accommodation, lunch and an evening meal at Millport please email [email protected]

Please refer to our website for further information and to book.