Herbology

"*Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.*"
— Harry Potter's description of the subject[src]

**Herbology** was the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi, making it the wizarding equivalent to botany. Herbology was a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Castelobruxo.

In this class students learned to care for and utilise plants, learn about their magical properties and what they are used for. Many plants provided ingredients for potions and medicine, while others had magical effects of their own right.

Herbert Beery was the professor of this subject at Hogwarts for many years prior 1955. After he retired, Pomona Sprout took over the post prior to 1991, and later Neville Longbottom by 2008.

## Contents

* 1Class information
* 2Location and time
	+ 2.1Classrooms
	+ 2.2Lesson times
* 3Curriculum
	+ 3.1First year
	+ 3.2Second year
	+ 3.3Third year
	+ 3.4Fourth year
	+ 3.5Fifth year
	+ 3.6Sixth year
	+ 3.7Seventh year
* 4Known equipment
* 5Known professors
* 6Required textbooks
* 7Grades
	+ 7.1Passing grades
	+ 7.2Fail grades
* 8Known O.W.L.s
* 9Behind the scenes
* 10Appearances
* 11Notes and references

## Class information

"*Four to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething.*"
— Professor Sprout teaching second-year students Herbology[src]

Herbology was a mandatory class at Hogwarts for the first five years of a student's education. Students spent class time learning about the different varieties of magical plants that existed. The further into a student's education, the more difficult and dangerous the plants became.

In the fifth year, when students took Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations, much of the year was spent working with a variety of more dangerous plants like the Fanged Geranium, as well as revisiting the past four years of lessons. As part of their Herbology O.W.L, students had to sit a written exam, and then complete a practical exam, during which the students worked with a wide selection of plants.

Students who achieved a pass grade on their Herbology O.W.L. could move on to the advanced class, where the plants become even more dangerous. At the end of their seventh year, students prepared for their N.E.W.T.s.

Pomona Sprout was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts in the 1990s; by 2008, however, she had either been replaced by, or was working alongside Neville Longbottom, who was likewise a professor. Neville was one of her students in the past, and an exceptionally gifted Herbologist, who then went on to be the Herbology professor.

Students were permitted to use profane language loudly should any of the dangerous plants sneak up on them, such as the Venomous Tentacula, seemingly as to warn others or to cope with the stress.

## Location and time

### Classrooms

"*"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout... There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before — greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and fertiliser mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling.*"
— A second year Herbology lesson taking place in Greenhouse Three[src]

These classes were held in the grounds of Hogwarts, in the greenhouses. The greenhouses were located behind the castle. Classes were held in different greenhouses depending on the students' year, with more advanced and dangerous plants typically reserved for O.W.L. or N.E.W.T.-level study.

## Curriculum

### First year

"*Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare ... what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp —*"
— Hermione Granger regarding first-year lessons on Devil's Snare[src]

* Venomous Tentacula
* Spiky Bush
* Bouncing Bulb
* Severing Charm
* Moly
* Asphodel
* Dried Nettles
* Dittany
* Mandrake Root
* Aconite
* Lumos Solem Spell
* Devil's Snare

### Second year

"*We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?*"
— Pomona Sprout[src]

* Spiky Bush (Revision)
* Venomous Tentacula (Not practically, Revision)
* Incendio Duo Spell
* Slugs (and how to defeat them using *Incendio Duo*)
* Mandrakes
* Fluxweed
* Leaping Toadstools
* Abyssinian Shrivelfigs

### Third year

"*"Careful, Weasley, careful!", cried Professor Sprout as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes.*"
— A third-year lesson on Puffapods[src]

* Puffapods
* Valerian
* Dried Nettles
* De-fanging vampiric vegetation
* Mimbulus mimbletonia
* Stinksap

### Fourth year

"*...one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face.*"
— A fourth-year lesson[src]

* Properties of and how to safely collect bubotuber pus from Bubotubers
* Bouncing Bulb
* Shrivelfig
* Flitterbloom
* Wiggentree
* Wormwood

### Fifth year

"*To nobody's surprise, Professor Sprout started their lesson by lecturing them about the importance of O.W.L.s.*"
— A fifth-year Herbology lesson[src]

* Self-fertilizing Shrubs
* Screechsnap
* Chinese Chomping Cabbage
* Gillyweed
* Puffapod
* Fanged Geranium
* Aconite
* Belladonna
* Ginger

### Sixth year

"*...they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology, but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the Venomous Tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind.*"
— N.E.W.T.-level lessons[src]

* Snargaluff pods
* Fluxweed
* Knotgrass
* Bouncing Bulb
* Sneezewort
* Moly
* Flutterby bush
* Mistletoe
* Sopophorous plant

### Seventh year

* Dittany (Review)
* Bubotuber and Bubotuber pus (Review)
* Aconite (Review)
* Floo
* Scurvy grass (Review)
* Sneezewort (Review)
* Alihotsy
* Sopophorous bean

## Known equipment

Dragon dung compost used for planting.

Dragon dung used as fertiliser (Professor Sprout's fertiliser of preference).

Dragon-hide gloves worn when handling dangerous plants.

Earmuffs worn by students and the professor when re-potting Mandrakes, so they could not harm students with their sound.

Wand to cast Herbology-related charms, such as the Severing Charm, Fire-Making Spell, Lumos Solem Spell or Herbivicus Charm.

Growth Potion, a potion produced by students in class and tested on plants, in order to rapidly accelerate their growth.

Watering can, used to water plants

## Known professors

Unidentified teacher (late 19th century)

Pomona Sprout

(pre. 1984-?)

Neville Longbottom

(pre 2017-?)

* Herbert Beery (?-pre 1955)

## Required textbooks

*One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi* by Phyllida Spore

*Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants* by Selina Sapworthy

*Flesh-Eating Trees of the World*

## Grades

* Exceeds Expectations [E]
* Acceptable [A]
* Dreadful [D]
* Troll [T]

## Known O.W.L.s

Bill Weasley

Fred Weasley †

George Weasley

Hannah Abbott

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

Neville Longbottom

Fay Dunbar

Percy Weasley

Ron Weasley

Pomona Sprout (likely)

Nymphadora Tonks †

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Alastor Moody † (likely)

Rufus Scrimgeour † (likely)

John Dawlish (likely)

Frank Longbottom (likely)

Alice Longbottom (likely)

Miranda Goshawk (possibly)

Elladora Ketteridge † (possibly)

Sacharissa Tugwood † (possibly)

Beaumont Marjoribanks † (possibly)

Tilden Toots (possibly)

Phyllida Spore † (possibly)

Selina Sapworthy † (possibly)

Jacob's sibling

Penny Haywood

Diego Caplan

* All Healers and Aurors, as an O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. at Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding was a compulsory requirement in this subject in order to apply for their relevant career training.
* Rowan Khanna

## Behind the scenes

* As revealed in *Pottermore*, J. K. Rowling had originally devised this class to be called "Herbalism".
* *Pottermore* had a feature called "The highs, lows and health hazards of Herbology", which was migrated to *Wizarding World*.
* In *Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery*, If players take Jacob's sibling to the O.W.L. through an optional side quest, they will definitely gain at least an A, even if they fail to answer every question and have the herbs and plants wilt away.