1.

 What equipment is used in Herbology and what are the uses?

Dragon dung compost—Used in planting magical herbs and flowers. It is probably the best
choice for it is cheap, works well with most plants, and can be purchased in small quantities

Dragon dung – Used in fertilizing the plant

Dragon-hide gloves –No matter what plant you are working with, you need to wear gloves,
especially when you’re handling dangerous plants or plants that release any substance.

Ear muffs—These are needed when working with mandrakes, mostly; these ear muffs are
apparently magical as they completely block all sound

Mooncalf dung—this substance makes magical herbs and flowers grow extremely well

Wand – Used in casting Herbology-related spells

Flesh-Eating Slug repellent—Keep Flesh Eating Slugs out of Hogwarts' cabbages

Slug pellets—Food for slugs, used by Hagrid

2. What books are required for Herbology, who are the authors and what years are they used
in?

1st to 6th years—1000 Herbs and Where to Find Them—Phyllida Spore

1st year—Ingredient Encyclopedia—Pomona Sprout
1st year—One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi—Phyllida Spore
6th year—Flesh-Eating Trees of the World—author unknown
2nd year—Encyclopedia of Toadstools— Angelo Muscart
4th year—Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean—Hadrian Whittle
4th year—Goshawk's Guide to Herbology—Miranda Goshawk
1st year—Encyclopedia of Magical and Mundane Plants—author unknown

3. What is Abyssinian shrivelfig used in?

An Abysinnian Shrivelfig is a magical plant that is mostly used in Shrinking Solutions, Deflating
Draught and the Elixir to induce Euphoria. It is also used to reduce the size of pimples. It doesn’t
get rid of them but it does, however, make them less noticeable. The fig is usually skinned and
then placed within the liquid solution. The leaf can be dipped in a water solution. The
Abysinnian Shrivelfig needs your full attention and frequent pruning for two weeks for it to
grow and become powerful. Like ordinary plants, it needs generous amounts of water
everyday. It also needs a place where it can be exposed to both the outside air and sunlight. But
it is not recommended that you put it outside the greenhouse. It is better to just set it neary a
draft section or near one of the glass panes that are broken. The shrivelfig might actually look
dead because of its withered stalk but it is actually the opposite. To extract the magical
properties hidden inside its protective casing, you can either chop the plant into pieces, grind it
or basically just throw it into the potion. The wood of the Shrivelfig can also be used to make
wands but only before the tree has fruited for the first time. After this, the wood's magical
properties become too unstable and will react with any core placed within it, causing the core
to shrink and then disappear.

4. What plant can be confused with Flitterbloom in appearance, what about it makes it
similar and what are the real differences?

A flitterbloom is a very calm magical plant that apparently has long, swaying tentacles which
looks like the Devil's Snare. It is harmless and actually non-violent. Some wizards and witches
even grow it in their gardens. It is like quicksand, but is not as strong. It has the power to absorb
a human's finger, a finger about the size of a 12 year old kid. The only possible danger from this
plant is if someone thinks Devil's Snare is a Flitterbloom. They can help you in reaching things or
use their long, slim branches to squeeze into tiny areas. They are very loyal and protective to
the home they are planted at. Flitterblooms really flourish in dragon dung compost. You should
water them every other day and to change their pot once every month. And when they grow,
they will soon find their own resources. The root can be cut up and used in potions to cure
severe colds and illnesses. Other than the root, flitterbloom is usually just used for protection
and even evil jokes. It resembles Rapaxis malefactoris superficially in appearance although it is
only marginally related and belongs to a different taxonomic family entirely. Purely autotrophic,
its movement is a response to evolution in a climax community where light at ground level can
be scarce and so independent movement enables the plant to catch the optimum amount of
sunlight during the day. As such, it is an entirely benign plant and its uses are mostly decorative.

5. What is Aconite used in, and what does it do?

Also known as Monkshood and Wolfsbane. All parts of this plant, which can grow to over a
meter tall, are poisonous. The poison is most effective when the plant is grown in a soil with a
fossiliferous matrix. Aconite is a very dangerous and poisonous plant mostly found in wild
places. Its flowers are useful in potion-making which is used in a wolfsbane potion, but its
leaves are very toxic. You can also use the plant as part of an oil used to massage aching joints,
but if swallowed or absorbed directly through any break in the skin, the oil could be
deadly.Even one lick of it and you could die.

6. Which plant can be known to bite people? I also want you to give an example of when this
has happened from the Harry Potter novels

Fanged Geraniums are vicious magical flowers with sharp teeth. It is known to bite or attack if
not taken care of, so be careful. Its fangs are used in many simple potions and in cooking. Harry
Potter received a minor bite from one during his Herbology O.W.L. in his fifth year. This plant is
under constant revision as to its taxonomic description. Current arguments place it either as a
purely magical plant of the Psudosimplex genus that grew to resemble plants in
the Geranium genus over time or as a magical variant of Geranium viscosissimum, a
protocarnivorous variety of geranium. Support for the latter argument comes from the Fanged
geranium's carnivorous nature, however, as the plant's Vavilov area is the same as a number of
other Pseudosimplex species there has been no definitive decision as of yet.

Extra Credit: What student was very interested in Herbology from the series? Give examples
of how he was interested in Herbology and what he used it for.

Herbology is the one class that Neville really excels at and Professor Sprout even compliments
Neville’s work in her class to other teachers. Neville was gifted at Herbology, earning an
Outstanding in his O.W.L. on the subject. Neville’s love for Herbology extends to owning rare
plants that the greenhouses at Hogwarts don’t have, like Mimbulus mimbletonia. He later
worked as Professor of this subject himself.

Sources:

Wikipedia

Harry Potter Wiki

The Harry Potter Companion

Mastering Herbology: Basic Textbook