Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't(crimepaysbutbotanydoesnt.com)
301 points by DarkContinent 8 hours ago | 108 comments
tl;dr: A profanity-laden guide to self-teaching botany, emphasizing that beginners shouldn't be intimidated by Latin terminology or taxonomy—both of which exist because common names are unreliable and modern classification reflects evolutionary relationships, letting you identify unfamiliar plants by family traits. The author recommends Michael Simpson's "Plant Systematics" and "Raven's Biology of Plants" as core texts, along with a long list of supplementary books, and suggests using Libgen/Sci-Hub on a cheap tablet if cost is prohibitive.
HN Discussion:
  • Fans of Joey/CPBBD YouTube channel recommending specific videos and praising his work
  • Personal stories of developing interest in botany, echoing the article's encouragement
  • Recommendations of complementary tools and resources like plant ID apps and aggregators
  • Critique that the guide oversimplifies by glossing over recursively complex prerequisites
  • Appreciation for broader ecological insights like geology-plant evolution connections gained from the author