Vegetation By Namaste Leister

Types of Vegetation There are many different kinds of vegetation, with different ways of recognizing and classifying them. There are: Trees and shrubs Grass like plants Forbes Bryophytes Fungi and lichen

Trees and Shrubs Trees are quite similar to shrubs, they are both wood, though you can tell then apart easily. Trees are larger the shrubs when they are fully matured. Trees reach a size greater then 7meters, where as shrubs never become that large. Shrubs and trees both have bark, though the bark of trees is thicker then the bark of shrubs. Deciduous plants like trees and shrubs loses their leaves every fall, growing new ones back in the following spring.

Grass Like Plants There are three types of grassy plants: True grasses- these plants have round and hollow stems. Rushes- these plants have round and spongy stems. Sedges- these plants can be identified from the others by the rhyme “sedges have edges”, these plants unlike true grasses and rushes don’t have round stems, they have triangular or edged stems.

Forbes Forbes have soft stems, and they will eventually flower. These flowers will usually die back each year. They are either: annual, meaning dyeing back every year, biennial, die back every two years, or perennial, living for more then 2 years. Insects and other animals will gather or eat parts of these plants, for example bumble bees will take pollen from most flowers. People treasure the beauty and diversity of these plants.

Bryophytes Bryophytes are mossy, primitive plants. These plants are very important, they turn inorganic materials like rocks into soil. This process is necessary for primary succession. Found in moist locations, thought they are dominant in the upland river zones.

Fungi and Lichen Though fungi is not truly plants, they do share characteristics with plants, along with animals, they also have some unique characteristics of their own. Like plants, fungi are rooted in place and produce spores, though their cell structure and reproduction methods are unlike any other. Fungi are always found in days after wet weather. Lichen, is two organisms, algae and fungi, living in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship (meaning the two organisms live together, depending on each other for survival). Because of this relationship lichen are able to live in unique habitats they otherwise wouldn’t be able to survive in. Lichen are most often found in the upland zone, living on trees, rocks, and shrubs.