Plant classification is the placing of known plants into groups or categories to show some relationship.
What makes the plant kingdom different to others? The most characteristic feature of plants is that they can synthesize their own food from atmospheric carbon dioxide using energy derived from sunlight (photosynthesis).
Classification of the Plant Kingdom uses a hierarchial system, based on phyiscal features. It goes from kingdom (animal or plant), to phylum (broad classes like flowering plants or mosses), class, order, family, genus, and finally to species. This is the final stage, where you find things like the particular plant or animal you are looking for, such as: Allegheny Mountain buttercup - Ranunculus allegheniensis; Alpine Avens - Geum montanum;
or Baby rose - Rosa multiflora.
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Taxonomy
It's very hard for everyone to agree on how to classify all the plants in the world, so scientist have agreed on an international standard called the ICN. This means that everyone use the same system to classify plants.
Non Seed-producing Phyla -- some examples
Chlorophyta (green algae) is a predominantly aquatic, photosynthetic, and nucleus-bearing organisms that lack the true roots, stems, leaves.
Filicinophyta/Pteridophyta (ferns) have roots, stems and leaves. However, unlike flowering plants, ferns do not have flowers or seeds; instead, they usually reproduce sexually by tiny spores
Bryphyta (mosses) have green, flat structures that resemble true leaves, which absorb water and nutrients.
Marchantiophyta (liverworts) are small, green, terrestrial plants. They do not have true roots, stems, or leaves.
Main classes of seed-producing phyla (Gymnosperms)
Ginkgopsida (Ginkgo biloba)
Larix (larch)
Picea (spruce)
Pinus (pine)
Abies (fir)
Ophioglossales
Marattiales
Hydropteridales
Polypodiales
Monocots (Liliopsida)
Dicots (Magnoliopsida)
Seed-producing Phyla (gymnosperms) -- some examples
Cycadophyta (Cycads) are a seed plant with a long fossil history that was formerly
more abundant and diverse than it is now,they usually have a stout and a
wooden with a crown made of hard leaves.
Male Cycad
Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo), a ginkgo only has one member, the Ginkgo Biloba it is a large tree with fan-shaped leaves the leaves are commonly used in supplements and taken by mouth for memory problems and for reducing anxiety and stress. It is thought to be one of the oldest living trees, dating back to more than 300 million years ago.
Ginkgo (unknown gender)
Pinophyta (Conifers) are a group of cone-bearing seed plants.All extant conifers are perennial woody plants with secondary growth. The great majority are trees, though a few are shrubs. Coniferous trees have small, waxy and usually narrow leaves (needles or flat scales).
Conifers, Male(to the right) and Female(to the left)
Angiosperms (flowering plants) bear one seed or several inside a fruit.
Flowering plants are a type of vascular plant that produces flowers in order to reproduce.
