Plant Basics Plants are multicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes 4 Major groups Nonvascular plants Seedless vascular plants Gymnosperms Angiosperms

Nonvascular Plants Simplest of all land dwelling plant They lack an internal means for water transportation They also do not produce seeds or flowers They generally only reach a height of 1-2 cms, because they lack the woody tissue necessary for support on land Example - mosses

Seedless Vascular Plants They have developed a vascular structure that permits the transport of water and nutrients They do not reproduce by seeds - they are "seedless" because they reproduce by means of spores Example - ferns

Gymnosperms Gymnosperms (literally, "naked seed") are a group of vascular plants whose seeds are borne in cones and are not visible These cones, however, are not the same as fruits Example - Cone-bearing plants (conifers)

Angiosperms The angiosperms (“seed in a vessel”) are vascular plants whose seeds are enclosed by a ripened ovary (fruit) A flower is a reproductive structure that attracts pollinators and gives rise to the fruits that contain seeds Example - Flowering plants

Angiosperms Flowering plants are divided into 2 groups, depending on the number of cotyledons (seed leaves) Cotyledons provide nutrient molecules for seedlings before true leaves begin photosynthesizing Some plants have one cotyledon (monocotyledon, or monocot), while others have 2 cotyledons (dicotyledon, or dicots).

Monocots Vascular tissue (xylem & phloem) in a ring in the root Vascular bundles scattered in stem Leaf veins form a parallel pattern Flower parts in threes and multiples of three Examples - grasses, lilies, orchids, palm trees Some of our most significant food sources are monocots (rice, wheat, corn)

Dicots Root xylem between arms of phloem Vascular bundles in a distinct ring in stem Leaf veins form a net pattern Flower parts in fours, fives, and multiples of 4 and 5 Larger group with most familiar plants Examples - dandelions to oak trees