This course starts with a review of the basic theory of the optical microscope; following practice, students should become comfortable purchasing, maintaining, and using compound light microscopes, brightfield, and polarized light for the analysis of plant material. Students are expected to learn the value of voucher specimens, the diagnostic features of ground plant material and where to go in order to get information on botanical nomenclature, literature, botany, and plant anatomy. This is an intensive three-day course with an approximately equal mixture of lecture and hands-on training. At the end of the course the student should be able to write a brief monograph identifying the different cell types present in the sample and use the web to gather additional information on plant taxonomy. Maximum class size is 12. Link to register: http://ifstl.org/courses/