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Michigan State University

Botanical and Plant Biology Research Guide: Catalog and Book Search

This is a general guide to finding information on plants, including floras, taxonomy, identification keys, habitat and growing needs.

Subject Headings

When conducting a SUBJECT SEARCH of the MSU Libraries online catalog for plants specific to Michigan, use the following subject headings:

Algae - Michigan
Annuals (Plants) - Michigan
Botany - Michigan
Climbing plants - Michigan
Ferns - Michigan
Floriculture - Michigan
Flowers - Michigan
Freshwater plants - Michigan
Fruit culture - Michigan
Gardening - Michigan
Gardens - Michigan
Horticulture - Michigan
Mosses - Michigan
Nurseries (Horticulture) - Michigan
Perennials - Michigan
Plant conservation - Michigan
Plants - Michigan
School Gardens - Michigan
Shrubs - Michigan
Trees - Michigan
Trees in Cities - Michigan
Vegetables - Michigan
Wild flowers - Michigan

Call numbers of interest

Here is a general breakdown of Library of Congress call numbers for many agriculture-related subjects:

QK

1 Periodicals, societies, congresses, serial publications
7-9 Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
14.5 Botanical literature, including Herbals
26-31 Biographies
71-73 Botanical gardens
75-77 Herbariums
79-79.5 Museums. Exhibitions
91-97 Museums. Exhibitions
91 Works of Linnaeus (Botany only)
102-105 Aquatic flora
108-474.5 Topographic divisions
474.8-495.Z Spermatophyta. Phanerogams
500-599 Cryptogams
640-680 Plant anatomy
683-707 Individual plant parts
710-899 Plant physiology
900-989 Plant ecology

ALSO...
QE 993 Palynology (the study of live and fossil spores, pollen grains, and similar plant structures)
S Agriculture
SB Horticulture
SD General Forestry