Professor Alexey Shipunov is one of the world's foremost botanists. A graduate of Moscow State University, he held positions at the Kew Gardens, London, and Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, and was a faculty member at the Minot State University, North Dakota, and a visiting professor at Kyoto University, Japan. During the 31 years of his scientific career he authored 221 publications, including 74 peer-reviewed articles and 17 books. This volume covers his introductory botany course at the Minot State University and is appropriate for broad audiences interested in learning more about plants.