Harry Potter Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Harry Potter Wiki

"hree 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 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.

1992 Herbology

A Second year Herbology lesson

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Pomona Sprout was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts in the 1990's; by 2017, however, she had either been replaced by, or was working alongside Neville Longbottom, who was likewise a professor.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

Students are 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

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

Year Day Period
First Wednesday second
Second Monday
Tuesday third
Wednesday first
Thursday third
Third Wednesday afternoon
Fourth Monday morning
Fifth Tuesday sixth
Wednesday fourth/fifth
Sixth Tuesday unknown
Seventh unknown

Curriculum

First year

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

Second year

"Those are Spiky Bushes. You may cast Incendio on them but step back to avoid their needles."
Pomona Sprout[src]

Third year

Fourth year

Fifth year

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]

Known equipment

Dragon-hide gloves Book of Spell

Dragon-hide gloves

Known professors

Required textbooks

Grades

Passing grades

Fail grades

Known O.W.L.s

Behind the scenes

  • As revealed in Pottermore, J. K. Rowling had originally devised this class to be called "Herbalism".[11]
  • Pottermore has a feature called "The highs, lows and health hazards of Herbology".[12]
  • In 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.

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 14 (Felix Felicis), page 283 - US edition
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 6 (Gilderoy Lockhart), page 72 - UK edition
  3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 31 (O.W.L.s)
  4. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Chapter 6 (The Letter from No One) - Herbology Lesson "Mandrakes"
  5. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Chapter 1 (Year Three Begins) - Herbology Lesson "Valerian Sprigs"
  6. Hogwarts Mystery
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3 onward, Herbology Lesson in general
  8. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Chapter 4 (Filching from Filch) - Herbology Lesson "Stinksap"
  9. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, Chapter 7 (Beast, Beings, and Creatures) - Herbology Lesson "Flitterbloom"
  10. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 4 (Opposite Day) - Herbology Lesson "Belladonna"
  11. Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Hogwarts School Subjects" at Pottermore
  12. Pottermore - The highs, lows and health hazards of Herbology
Herbology
Pottedmandrake
Herbologists
Astrid Cole · Clifford Cromwell · Marmaduke Dale · Blossom Degrasse · Miranda Goshawk · Alfred Lawley · Olgae Marinus · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Nepali wizard · Gethsemane Prickle · Sanjay Shanker · Selina Sapworthy · Phyllida Spore · Yubert Thorne · Tilden Toots · Hadrian Whittle · Winogrand
Herbology at Hogwarts
Herbology Award · Herbology Lesson Cup · Herbology Race Cup · Herbology Store · Hidden Herbology Corridor
Greenhouses One · Two · Three · Four · Five · Six · Seven · Professor's office
Professors Mirabel Garlick's predecessor · Mirabel Garlick · Herbert Beery · Pomona Sprout · Neville Longbottom
Textbooks Flesh-Eating Trees of the World · Ingredient Encyclopedia · One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi · Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants
Plants studied and grown at Hogwarts
Aconite · Alihotsy · Asphodel · Belladonna · Bouncing Bulb · Bubotuber · Bubotuber pus · Chinese Chomping Cabbage · Cowbane · Dandelion · Devil's Snare · Dirigible Plum · Dittany · Fanged Geranium · Fat cactus-like plant · Fire seed bush · Flitterbloom · Floo · Flutterby bush · Fluxweed · Gillyweed · Ginger · Greenhouse Tree · Hemlock · Honking daffodil · Ivy · Knotgrass · Lady's Mantle · Lavender · Leaping Toadstool · Lovage · Mandrake · Mimbulus mimbletonia · Mistletoe · Moly · Nettle · Peppermint · Puffapod · Raspberry · Rose · Sage · Screechsnap · Scurvy grass · Self-fertilising shrub · Shrivelfig · Snargaluff · Sneezewort · Sopophorous plant · Sopophorous Bean · Spiky Bush · Spiky Prickly Plant · Stinksap · Sugar Shrub · Toad-eating plant · Tormentil · Umbrella Flower · Valerian · Vampiric vegetation · Venomous Tentacula · Walking plant · Wax vegetables · Whomping Willow · Wiggentree · Wild rice · Wormwood
Spells taught in Herbology at Hogwarts
Fire-Making Spell (Incendio) · Herbivicus Charm (Herbivicus) · Incendio Duo Spell (Incendio Duo) · Lumos Solem Spell (Lumos Solem) · Severing Charm (Diffindo)
Hogwarts subjects
Core classes Astronomy · Charms · Defence Against the Dark Arts · Herbology · History of Magic · Potions · Transfiguration
Hogwartscrest
Elective classes Alchemy · Arithmancy · Care of Magical Creatures · Divination · Muggle Studies · Study of Ancient Runes
Extracurricular classes Apparition · Advanced Arithmancy Studies · Ancient Studies · Art · Flying · Ghoul Studies · Magical Theory · Muggle Art · Muggle Music · Music · Xylomancy · Field Studies
Former classes Beasts · Dark Arts
Examinations
First year exams · Second year exams · Third year exams · Fourth year exams ·
Ordinary Wizarding Level · Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test
Advertisement