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How Do We Categorize Plants?: Crash Course Botany #7 episode artwork

Nov 11, 2026 18 min

How Do We Categorize Plants?: Crash Course Botany #7

from CrashCourse Hosted by CrashCourse

Humans make stuff up—including the names and classifications of living things. But those categories are still useful. In this episode of Crash Course Botany, we’ll explore how taxonomy and systematics help us understand what plants are and where they come from. We’ll discuss the power of naming, and why even scientists don’t agree on what a species is.Chapters:Categorizing Plants 00:00What Is a Plant? 1:26Taxonomy & Systematics 3:15Indigenous Taxonomic Knowledge 6:36Species Concepts 9:10Review & Credits 12:11Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PB6WdUJcABAccO-U-t6ic7WbfP2z0Pr5P9a8HMr6zh4/edit?usp=sharing***Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at http://www.patreon.com/crashcourseThanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:David Fanska, Andrew Woods, Tawny Whaley, Sean Saunders, Katie, DL Singfield, Ken Davidian, Stephen Akuffo, Toni Miles, Steve Segreto, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Laurel Stevens, Burt Humburg, Aziz Y, Perry Joyce, Scott Harrison, Mark & Susan Billian, Alan Bridgeman, Rachel Creager, Breanna Bosso, Matt Curls, Jennifer Killen, Jon Allen, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, team dorsey, Trevin Beattie, Eric Koslow, Indija-ka Siriwardena, Jason Rostoker, Siobhán, Ken Penttinen, Nathan Taylor, Les Aker, William McGraw, ClareG, Rizwan Kassim, Constance Urist, Alex Hackman, Pineapples of Solidarity, Katie Dean, Stephen McCandless, Wai Jack Sin, Ian Dundore, Mark, Caleb Weeks.__Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseTwitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheCrashCourseCC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids

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