What is the scientific study of plants called?

The scientific study of plants is known as botany. This branch of science focuses specifically on understanding various aspects of plants, including their structure, function, growth, evolution, and distribution. Botanists study everything from microscopic algae to massive trees, investigating how plants interact with their environments and other organisms.

While ecology is concerned with the relationships between organisms and their environments, and biology encompasses the study of all living organisms, botany zeroes in on plants in particular. Horticulture, on the other hand, pertains to the art and science of growing and cultivating plants, primarily for food, aesthetic, or medicinal uses, rather than the foundational scientific study of plants themselves. This specialization within the broader fields reinforces why botany is the precise term for the scientific study of plants.