SubjectsSubjects(version: 996)
Course, academic year 2026/2027
   
Pharmaceutical Botany II - GAF414
Title: Pharmaceutical Botany II
Form of teaching: lecture+seminar+practical classes
Guaranteed by: Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany (16-16230)
Faculty: Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové
Actual: from 2026
Duration in semesters: 1
Semester: summer
Points: 0
E-Credits: 6
Examination process: summer s.:
Hours per week, examination: summer s.:42/26, C+Ex [HS]
Capacity: unknown / unknown (unknown)
Maximum number of enrolled students: unlimited
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
Key competences:  
State of the course: taught
Language: Czech
Teaching methods: full-time
Level:  
Repeated enrollment: 1 / 1 / - / 1
Guarantor: doc. PharmDr. Jakub Chlebek, Ph.D.
Co-requisite : GAF337
Interchangeability : GAF338
Is pre-requisite for: GAF430
Is interchangeable with: GAF338
Annotation -
The course Pharmaceutical Botany II is focused on pharmaceutically important taxa of fungi, lower plants (Cyanophyta, Algae, Lichens, Bryophyta), Pteridophytic plants, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. Students are acquainted with the plant systematic classification, brief description of plants, their metabolites and importance in current pharmacy. The course emphasizes characteristic features and elements of knowledge of these plants, which will help students to orient themselves during consultations with patients in pharmacy. Within the taxa list, attention is focused to exotic plants from foreign landscapes (mainly from Asia) as well, which have become increasingly important in the European and Czech Pharmacopoeia.
Last update: Chlebek Jakub, doc. PharmDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
Course completion requirements -

The credit in the summer semester consists of 3 parts:

a) passing the 1st continuous test (25 plants),

b) passing the 2nd continuous test (25 plants),

c) passing the practical test

d) 100% attendance at practical exercises.

The exam consists of two parts:

1) Practical part:

Recognition/identification of 15 living medicinal plants which were selected from the "List of Medicinal Plants for Practical Testing of Pharmaceutical Botany"

2) Theoretical part:

Written test that contains 43 questions in part of the quiz character (only one answer is correct), partly the descriptive character (1-3 words), together with a table containing 20 medicinal plants where students must fill in their family names and main metabolites.

The exam classification is as follows: 

Fail: up to 59.99%

Good: 60.00–70.00%

Very good: 70.25–80.00%

Excellent: 80.25–100%

 

Last update: Chlebek Jakub, doc. PharmDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
Literature -

Recommended:

  • Gontova T. M. et al.. Pharmaceutical Botany. : , , s. ISBN 978-966-673-187-9.

Last update: Chlebek Jakub, doc. PharmDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
Teaching methods -
Lectures, practical classes in a microscopic laboratory, practical classes - recognizing of pharmaceutically and toxicologically important plants in the garden of medicinal plants.
Last update: Chlebek Jakub, doc. PharmDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
Syllabus -

Plant systematics

Lectures:

Introduction to plant taxonomy.

Fungi: morphology, taxonomic and phytochemical characteristics; pharmaceutically relevant species from divisions Zygomycota, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.

Lower plants: morphology, taxonomic and phytochemical characteristics of species from Cyanophyta, Algae, Bryophyta, and Lichens; pharmaceutically relevant species.

Pteridophytic plants: morphology, taxonomic and biochemical characteristics; Equisetophyta: morphology, taxonomic and biochemical characteristics.

Gymnosperms: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important gymnosperm families, their genera and species: Ginkgoaceae, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, Taxaceae, Ephedraceae.

Angiosperms, lower dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important families, their genera and species: Schisandraceae, Magnoliaceae, Myristicaceae, Lauraceae, Monimiaceae, Aristolochiaceae and Piperaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important families of the orders Ranunculales and Papaverales, their genera and species: Ranunculaceae, Berberidaceae, Papaveraceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important families of the orders Saxifragales, Fagales and Cucurbitales, their genera and species: Crassulaceae, Grossulariaceae, Paeoniaceae, Hamamelidaceae, Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Juglandaceae, Cucurbitaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important families of the orders Rosales and Fabales, their genera and species: Eleagnaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rosaceae, Urticaceae, Cannabaceae, Fabaceae and Polygalaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important families of the orders Malpighiales, Celastrales, Zygophyllales and Geraniales, their genera and species: Erythroxylaceae, Linaceae, Passifloraceae, Salicaceae, Hypericaceae, Violaceae, Celastraceae, Zygophylaceae and Geraniaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important families of the orders Myrtales, Sapindales and Malvales, their genera and species: Myrtaceae, Onagraceae, Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae, Nitrariaceae, Rutaceae, Sapindaceae and Malvaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of the pharmaceutically important families of the orders Brassicales, Santalales, Caryophyllales and Cornales, their genera and species: Brassicaceae, Tropaeolaceae, Santalaceae, Cactaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Polygonaceae and Nyssaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of the pharmaceutically important families of the orders Ericales, Aquifoliales and Asterales, their genera and species: Ericaceae, Primulaceae, Theaceae, Aquifoliaceae, Asteraceae and Menyanthaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of the pharmaceutically important families of the orders Apiales, Dipsacales and Solanales, their genera and species: Apiaceae, Viburnaceae (Adoxaceae = Sambucaceae), Caprifoliaceae and Solanaceae.

Angiosperms, higher dicotyledons: general characteristics, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important families of the orders Lamiales, Gentianales and Boraginales, their genera and species: Lamiaceae, Verbenaceae, Oleaceae, Pedaliaceae, Plantaginaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Orobanchaceae, Apocynaceae, Gentianaceae, Rubiaceae and Boraginaceae.

Angiosperms, monocotyledons: Morphological differences compared to dicotyledons, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically important angiosperm families of monocotyledons and practical importance of selected species: families Acoraceae, Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, Asphodelaceae, Iridaceae, Orchidaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Colchicaceae, Melanthiaceae, Smilacaeae, Arecaceae, Bromeliaceae, Poaceae and Zingiberaceae.


Practical classes:

Microscopy: cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, lichens.

Microscopy: bryophytes, spore vascular plants, Gymnosperms.

Stereoscopy: Angiosperms (structure of the flowers of pharmaceutically important plant families).

Recognizing of medicinal plants: practical knowledge of pharmatically and toxicologically important plants in the Garden of Medicinal Plants (3x)

Last update: Chlebek Jakub, doc. PharmDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
Learning outcomes

The course Pharmaceutical Botany II builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in the course Pharmaceutical Botany I.

The student is familiar with taxonomy of plants and fungi, and is able to describe general, morphological and phytochemical characteristics of pharmaceutically and toxicologically important representatives of cyanobacteria, fungi, lower plants, pteridophytic plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms. After completing practical classes, the student is able to explain morphological differences in the structure of the thallus of lower plants, fungi and organs of higher plants, can describe the structure of flowers and understand flower formulas in pharmaceutically important plant families. After completing 3 seminars in the Garden of Medicinal Plants, the student is able to identify important medicinal/toxic plants from the list of taxa for the practical part of the exam, including recognition between related taxa.

Learning outcomes

Students based on acquired knowledge and skills:

  • are familiar with the taxonomy of plants and fungi, including active knowledge of taxonomic units
  • define the basic types of life cycle of plants and the process of metagenesis (alteration of generations)
  • explain morphological differences in the structure of the thallus of cyanobacteria, fungi and lower plants, the structure of the body and organs of pteridophytic plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms
  • can recognize and describe the basic morphological features (leaf, flower, fruit etc.) of plants from pharmaceutically important families and use them in their identification
  • botanically identify selected important representatives of medicinal and toxic plants
  • knows main metabolites of pharmaceutically important species (cyanobacteria, fungi, and plants)
Last update: Chlebek Jakub, doc. PharmDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
 
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