The study reports on species knowledge among German adolescents (n=507) as: (1) self-assessed evaluation of
one’s species knowledge; and (2) factual knowledge about popular local herbs and trees. Besides assessing species
knowledge, we were interested in whether selected demographic factors, environmental attitude (as measured
through the New Ecological Paradigm) and environmental preferences (measured through the Teen Environmental
Preference Questionnaire) may predict species knowledge. Overall, pupils showed better knowledge of
trees than of herbs. The Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) was the best known species among a total of 16 presented
tree and herb species. Linear regression analyses revealed that female gender influenced knowledge about trees
positively, while it showed a negative relation towards self-assessed evaluation of one’s species knowledge. In
addition, higher age, urban provenance and the environmental preference dimension ‘city’ showed a negative
relation with species knowledge of trees and herbs. The environmental preference dimension ‘nature’ was positively
related to our adolescents’ self-assessed evaluation of one’s species knowledge. Our results will be
discussed in the light of educational strategies to foster young people’s species knowledge.

• Herbs versus trees: influences on teenagers’ knowledge of plant species

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