DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES Plant Biology Weed Spotter training – Module 2 NAME Weed Alert Contact Officer, CATCHMENT

The kingdoms of life Monera – Prokaryotic cells without a nuclear membrane, mitochondria or chloroplasts. Includes bacteria and blue-green algae Protista – mostly unicellular, eukaryotic organisms, some of which photosynthesise and some of which don’t. Includes some algae Fungi –multicellular organisms that gain nutrients by decomposing organic molecules from their surroundings Plantae (Plants) – multicellular organisms that produce organic molecules via photosynthesis. (They produce their own nutrients) Animalia (Animals) – multicellular organisms that gain their nutrients via ingesting other organisms for food.

Biological system of classification Carl Linnaeus ( ) developed the biological system of classification Organisms are classified into groups with common characteristics (appearance) A group or species is called a taxon and is given a Latin name The system is a hierarchy with specified levels or ranks with species as the smallest unit

Biological system of classification The rank order of taxa used for plants is: example: Blue Gum KingdomPlantae PhylumMagnoliophyta ClassMagnoliopsida OrderMyrtales FAMILY Myrtaceae SubfamilyLeptospermoideae GENUSEucalyptus SPECIESE. globulus Hybrids, subspecies, varieties etc.

Plant names The ‘scientific’ or ‘botanical’ name of each kind of organism consists of two parts based on the smallest ranks in the biological system – genus and species The genus is the generic name and always starts with a capital letter The species is called an epithet and always starts in lower case Plants may be from different genus but share the same epithet. E.g. Eucalyptus gunnii and Nothofagus gunnii

Plant names The scientific name is followed by an abbreviation of the name of the original author of the plants name (E.g. F Muell. means it was named by Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller) Common names are not governed by any rules and therefore a species can have more than one common name Example of a Weed Alert species –State Prohibited Weed –genus is Eichhornia –species is crassipes –common name is Water Hyacinth

Activity Plant Naming

The Plantae kingdom is divided into; Major plant groups non-vascular plants (liverworts and mosses) seed bearing vascular plants (cycads, conifers and other gymnosperms All flowering plants) spore bearing vascular plants (ferns, clubmosses and horsetails)

Non-vascular plants, do not have vascular tissue and include;  Algae  Bryophytes; - liverworts - hornworts - mosses They do not have roots, stems or leaves Non-vascular plants Moss (Bryophyta) Hornwort

Spore-bearing vascular plants Have vascular tissue Produce spores, not seeds Have no flowers Include;  ferns  horsetails (State Prohibited Weed)  club mosses Horsetails Equisetum species

Equisetum (Horsetail) Spore-bearing vascular plants

Seed-bearing vascular plants Gymnosperms – seeds are unenclosed on the scales of a cone or similar structure  cycads  conifers  NOT palms these are Angiosperms

Angiosperms (flowering plants) classified into two major groups Monocotyledons (Monocots) are mainly non-woody plants with  flower parts are in threes (3, 6, 9 etc)  parallel leaf veins  vascular bundles scattered in the stem  an embryo with one seed leaf (cotyledon)  a fibrous root system  includes grasses, lilies, grass trees, kangaroo paws, orchids, palms Photo: D Greig Seed-bearing vascular plants Bear-skin fescue

Angiosperms – flowering plants Dicotyledons (Dicots) are either woody or herbaceous with  flower parts in fours or fives  net like leaf venation  vascular bundles in a ring  an embryo with two seed leaves (cotyledons)  a tap like root system  includes magnolias, buttercups, daisies, roses, peas, acacias, banksias and eucalypts

Angiosperms – flowering plants

Activity Plant Classes

Common plant families There are many plant families each with their own similar characteristics If you can recognise some of these characteristics then it can help you identify a plant Some common families include:  Asteraceae  Poaceae  Fabaceae  Rosaceae FABACEAE ASTERACEAE

ASTERACEAE – daisy family Black knapweed Centaurea nigra State Prohibited Weed Flowers that are clusters of smaller flowers They are successful weeds because many flowers in one is a successful reproductive strategy they set a lot of seed they have successful dispersal mechanisms such as wind (fluffy seed) they are either annuals or biennials so can reproduce quickly Includes daisies, thistles and everlastings

ASTERACEAE Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum)

POACEAE – grass family A big family, with over 600 genera Flowers are small, and sit together with two enclosing bracts known as florets One or more florets make a spikelet They are successful weeds as they are wind pollinated they set lots of seeds many are annuals and can set seed in a short season Lobed needle grass Nassella charruana State Prohibited Weed

FABACEAE – pea family Flowers are distinctive with 5 petals Fruit is always a pod that is dry at maturity and splits along both sides to release the seeds The leaves are simple or compound usually with stipules Includes herbs, shrubs, trees and climbers White Spanish Broom Cytisus multiflorus Victorian Alert Weed Acacia seed pods

FABACEAE – pea family Flowers consist of 5 petals –1 Standard –2 Wing –2 Keel Stamens are in the Keel Photo: M D Crisp

ROSACEAE genera Mostly diagnosed by the fruit structure –Small fruit (blackberry, strawberries etc.) –Fruit with 5 capsules/cores (apples, pears etc.) –Fruit as a single drupe (peaches, plums etc.) Can spread by canes (blackberry) or by birds or foxes eating the fruit or seed

Key words Genus – groups of species that have similar characteristics Species – basic category of classification, related individuals that can breed within themselves Non-vascular – lacking vascular tissue (for example; water transport vessels) Gymnosperms – a plant with seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary Angiosperms – flowering plants (largest phylum of living plants) Monocots – flowering plants that have a single seed leaf (cotyledon) Dicots – flowering plants that have two seed leaves (cotyledons) Florets – a small or reduced flower, usually enclosed in bracts (as in grasses) Spikelets – a spike made up of one or more florets Stipules – small appendages at the base of a leaf stalk Stamens – pollen bearing part of a flower Simple – has one main leaf, may have lobes but they do not reach the main vein Compound – compound leaf has many leaflets coming off the main vein

Questions?

Acknowledgements Information sourced from: Knox, Ladiges and Evens, Biology McGraw-Hill Book Company Environmental weed training notes 2002, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria Line drawings by Kristy Roche, DPI Thank you for participating