Botany
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology that studies the growth, reproduction and evolution of plants over the last 3.5 billion years of life on earth.
As with all areas of biology and medicine, plants can be studied at range of levels from their biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology and genetics to their ecology, pathology, anatomy, morphology and taxonomy. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who specialises in this field. Plants can be defined in multiple ways including approximately 410,000 species of land plants, and some 391,000 species of vascular plants, of which approximately 369,000 are flowering plants and approximately 20,000 bryophytes.
Worth seeing
It is outside the scope of Wikivoyage to act as a detailed botanical guidebook to where individual species might be specifically found. The listings given below are either major tourist sites, recognized internationally (by UNESCO or other organizations) or regions visited specifically because of their floral or botanical heritage.
Where to eat
In conservation areas you should take care that the food that you bring with does not cause biosecurity breaches. Check your bags for any pests that may be trying to hitch a lift. Avoid bringing any food with you which would grow if accidentally dropped - you may need to leave fresh fruit and nuts behind, although cooked fruit may be fine.
Getting around Botany the local way
- Get inOn cruise days there is a ferry operating to Darling Harbour, as well as taxis and transfer services organised by the cruise companies (usually to the city and airport).
- Get aroundThe public transport system consists of train, metro, light rail, ferry, and bus services, and can get you virtually anywhere in the city as well as the outer regions.
- Get aroundThe sign "T" in orange means train, "M" in teal means metro, "L" in red means light rail, "F" in green means ferry, "B" in blue means bus, and "C" in purple means coach.
- Get aroundSome ferries and buses have disabled access.
- Get aroundThe fare system covers all train, metro, light rail, ferry and bus services in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the surrounding regions.
- Get aroundTop-up machines are available at most railway stations, some light rail stops, and all ferry wharves.
- Get aroundYou can obtain a single trip ticket at some top-up machines in train stations and ferry wharves.
- Get aroundThis applies to all transport except for the Manly ferry, whereby you only need to tap-on.
From Wikivoyage: Sydney, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: George Chernilevsky (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.