Discusses the use of biographies to increase student interest in plant science. Presents the biography of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who empowered women and children to plant and care for millions of trees in Kenya, as an example of teaching with biographies. (JRH)

Describes the use of biographical stories to promote student interest in plant biology. Discusses plant hunters of various time periods, including ancient, middle ages, renaissance, colonial Americas, and 18th and 19th centuries; women plant hunters of the 1800s and early 1900s; and modern plant hunters. Discusses classroom strategies for the…