Department of Botany

College of Letters and Science
Bascom Hall
succulents

Mission

Our mission is to discover, maintain, and transmit knowledge concerning basic plant biology and provide leadership in the biological sciences.

Seeing things more clearly, thanks to campus-wide microscopy effort

Thanks to the efforts of several University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers (including Marisa Otegui) and funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), UW–Madison scientists will soon have a cutting-edge new TEM.

‘Foray’ draws scientists to Wisconsin in search of mushrooms, fellowship

Now in its 44th year, the Smith Lake States Mycological Foray gathers mushroom experts to collect samples, share mycological gossip and debate the evolution of these enigmatic organisms.

Blazes of light reveal how plants signal danger long distances

The plants produce a protein that only fluoresces around calcium, letting the researchers track its presence and concentration. Then came caterpillar bites, scissor cuts and crushing wounds.

Events

Give

Support the Department of Botany’s education and research missions.

heart shaped leaf