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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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

6. 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).

7. 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)

8. 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