Biography

Dr. Rani Vajravelu is a botanist with specialization in angiosperm plant taxonomy. She contributed to the Flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic, documenting sixty-five plant families, and was a collaborator on the Guide to the Flora of Florida (1998).

An accomplished botanical illustrator, Dr. Vajravelu has published work in Florida Plants for Wildlife (1995), Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities (1998), and her textbook Ethnobotany: A Modern Perspective (2009). She is also the author of a children’s book, The Dog That Didn’t Like Leftovers (2017) that encourages children to eat healthy foods.

Dr. Vajravelu currently teaches ethnobotany, medical botany, culinary botany, plant science, and capstone courses offered in multiple modalities. Her instruction emphasizes applied botanical knowledge and the global relevance of plants to health, nutrition, and culture. She incorporates digital tools and virtual resources to enhance student engagement and is committed to accessibility and affordability with open educational resources and inclusive teaching practices.