Herbology

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Spoilers will be present within the article.

Herbology is the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi, making it the wizarding equivalent to botany. Herbology is a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Castelobruxo in which students learn to care for and utilise plants, learn about their magical properties and what they are used for. Many plants provide ingredients for potions and medicine, while others have 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 2017.

Class information

Herbology is a mandatory class at Hogwarts for the first five years of a student's education. Students spend class time learning about the different varieties of magical plants that exist. The further into a student's education the more difficult and dangerous the plants become.

In the fifth year, when students take Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations, much of the year is 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 must sit a written exam, and then complete a practical exam, during which the students work with a wide selection of plants.^[3]

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

Pomona Sprout was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts in the 1990's; by 2017, however, she had either been replaced by, or was working alongside Neville Longbottom, who was likewise a professor.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 a gifted herbologist.

Location and time

These classes are held in the grounds of Hogwarts, in the greenhouses. The greenhouses are located behind the castle. Classes are 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.

Lesson times

Curriculum

First Year

• Fire-Making Spell
• Venomous Tentacula (Not practically)
• Spiky Bush
• Bouncing Bulb
• Severing Charm
• Puffapods
• Moly
• Asphodel
• Dried Nettles
• Dittany
• Wormwood
• Mandrake Root
• Aconite
• Lumos Solem
• Devil's Snare

Second Year

• Severing Charm (Revision)
• Bowtruckles and how defeat them using Severing Charm.
• Spiky Bush (Revision)
• Venomous Tentacula (Not practicaly, Revision)
• Incendio Duo
• Slugs and how to defeat them using Incendio Duo.
• Puffapods (Revision)
• Mandrakes
• Fluxweed
• Leaping Toadstools
• Abyssinian Shrivelfigs

Third Year

• Severing Charm (Revision)
• Puffapods (Revision)
• Incendio Tria
• Valerian^[4]

Fourth Year

• Herbivicus
• Orchideous Jinx
• Fire-Making Spell (Revision)
• Learning the properties of Bubotuber pus and how to safely collect it.
• Gillyweed and its uses.

Fifth Year

• Fire-Making Spell (O.W.L. revision)
• Self-fertilizing Shrubs
• Screechsnap
• Chinese Chomping Cabbage
• Fanged Geranium
• Flutterby Bush

Sixth Year 

• Venomous Tentacula
• Snargaluff pods

Known equipment

• Dragon dung – used as fertiliser (Professor Sprout's fertiliser of preference).
• Dragon dung compost – used for planting.
• Dragon-hide gloves – worn when handling dangerous plants.
• Earmuffs – worn by students and the professor when repotting Mandrakes, so they could not harm students with their sound.
• Mooncalf dung – used as fertiliser, makes magical plants grow well.
• Wand - to cast Herbology-related spells, such as Diffindo or Incendio.

Known Professors

Herbert Beery (?-pre 1955)

Pomona Sprout
(?-pre 2017)

Neville Longbottom
(pre 2017-?)

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Required textbooks

Encyclopedia of Toadstools

Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

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• Flesh-Eating Trees of the World (N.E.W.T.)

Known O.W.L.s

Barty Crouch Jr †

Bill Weasley

Ernie Macmillan

George Weasley

Hannah Abbott

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

Neville Longbottom

Percy Weasley

Ron Weasley

Pomona Sprout (possibly)

Miranda Goshawk (possibly)

Beaumont Marjoribanks (possibly)

Phyllida Spore

Tilden Toots (possibly)

Selina Sapworthy

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Behind the scenes

• As revealed in Pottermore, J. K. Rowling had originally devised this class to be called "Herbalism".^[5]
• Pottermore has a feature called "The highs, lows and health hazards of Herbology".^[6]

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Notes and references

Herbology
Professors: Herbert Beery · Pomona Sprout · Neville Longbottom
Textbooks: Flesh-Eating Trees of the World · Goshawk's Guide to Herbology · Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean · One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi · Winogrand's Wonderous Water Plants
Hogwarts class: Herbology Award · Herbology Lesson Cup · Herbology Race Cup · Herbology Store
Hogwarts greenhouses: One · Two · Three · Four · Five · Six · Seven · Professor's Office
Herbologists: Herbert Beery · Miranda Goshawk · Elladora Ketteridge · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Nepali wizard · Phyllida Spore · Tilden Toots · Hadrian Whittle · Sir Winogrand · Selina Sapworthy
Plants Studied: Bouncing Bulb · Bubotuber · Devil's Snare · Fire Seed Bush · Mandrake · Mimbulus Mimbletonia · Puffapod · Screechsnap · Self-fertilising shrub · Snargaluff · Spiky Bush · Spiky Prickly Plant · Umbrella Flower · Venomous Tentacula · Walking plant · Whomping Willow · Wild rice

Wizarding Education
The Eleven Schools: Beauxbatons · Castelobruxo · Durmstrang · Hogwarts · Ilvermorny · Koldovstoretz · Mahoutokoro · Uagadou
Specialised schools: Academy of Broom Flying · Charm School · Euro-Glyph School of Extraordinary Languages · Merge School of Under-Water Spellage · Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts
Examinations: First year exams · Second year exams · Third year exams · Fourth year exams · Ordinary Wizarding Level · Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test
Core classes: Astronomy · Charms · Defence Against the Dark Arts · Herbology · History of Magic · Potions · Transfiguration
Elective classes: Alchemy · Arithmancy · Care of Magical Creatures · Divination · Muggle Studies · Study of Ancient Runes
Extra-curricular classes: Apparition · Advanced Arithmancy Studies · Ancient Studies · Art · Flying · Frog Choir · Ghoul Studies · Hogwarts orchestra · Magical Theory · Muggle Art · Muggle Music · Music · Xylomancy