A quick foray into the classification of plants.

1. The Plant Kingdom
Plants provide nourishment for our
bodies and souls. With the help of
protists and fungi, plants provide the
oxygen we breathe and the food that
sustains us -- either directly or
indirectly, by feeding other animals.

2. Classification of the Plant
Kingdom
Plants provide shade over our
heads and cool carpets under
our feet while surrounding us
with beautiful colors and
marking the change of
seasons.

3. Classification of the Plant
Kingdom
Prominent plants give us a
handle on ecological
communities. Descriptions
such as "Redwood-Tanoak
Forest" or "Oak Grassland"
indicate not only the plants we
may find there but the
animals, fungi, and climate as
well.

4. Classification of the Plant
Kingdom
Classification of the plant
kingdom can be especially
confusing to the amateur
naturalist. For example,
according to modern botany:

5. Classification of the Plant
Kingdom
A palm tree has more in
common with a blade of grass
than with other trees.
A strawberry plant is more
closely related to an apple or
apricot tree than to a clover or
geranium.

6. Classification of the Plant
Kingdom
A Ginko (Maidenhair) tree is
so different from other plants
that it is in a phylum by itself.
But if you have to group it with
other plants, it belongs with
conifers such as Pine trees.

7. At least four classification systems are in
common use: Plants are classified into 12
phyla or divisions based largely on
reproductive characteristics; they are
classified by tissue structure into non-
vascular (mosses) and vascular plants (all
others); by "seed" structure into those that
reproduce through naked seeds, covered
seeds, or spores; or by stature divided into
mosses, ferns, shrubs and vines, trees, and
herbs.

8. Mosses
and Allies
Conifers
and
Allies
Flowering
Monocot
Plants
The categories listed below provide a certain
balance: the largest phylum has been split while
the other phyla are grouped according to one or
more of the methods described above.
Ferns
and
Allies
Flowering
Dicot Plants

9. Mosses
Mosses are non-vascular plants
-- they cannot transport fluids
through their bodies. Instead,
they must rely on surrounding
moisture to do this job for them.
Though small in stature,
mosses are very important
members of our ecosystem.
They lay the foundations for
other plant growth, prevent
erosion, and contribute to the
lush green appearance of many
forested areas.

10. Mosses
Mosses and their allies are small
green plants that are
simlutaneously overlooked and
deeply appreciated by the typical
nature lover. On the one hand, very
few people pay attention to
individual moss plants and species.
On the other hand, it is the mosses
that imbues our forests with that
wonderful lush "Rainforest" quality
which soothes the soul and softens
the contours of the earth.

11. Mosses
These wonderfully soft carpets of
green are, in fact, Nature's second
line of attack in its war against
rocks. After lichens have created a
foothold in rocks the mosses move
in, ultimately becoming a layer of
topsoil for higher plants to take
root. The mosses also hold loose
dirt in place, thus preventing
landslides.

12. Mosses
Ecologically and structurally,
mosses are closer to lichens than
they are to other members of the
plant kingdom. Both mosses and
lichens depend upon external
moisture to transport nutrients.
Because of this they prefer damp
places and have evolved special
methods of dealing with long dry
periods. Higher plants, on the other
hand, have specialized organs for
transporting fluid, allowing them to
adapt to a wider variety of habitats.

13. Ferns
Ferns and allies have a vascular
system to transport fluids
through their bodies but like the
mosses, they reproduce from
spores rather than seeds. The
main phylum, the Ferns
(Filicinophyta = Pteridophyta)
includes around 12,000 species.

14. Ferns
Ferns represent the second
major step in the evolutionary
sophistication of plants. While
they still reproduce by spores
like mosses, the ferns add a
vascular system -- i.e.
specialized organs for
transporting fluids throughout
the plant.

15. Ferns
Ferns prefer to live in
environments having low light
and relatively high levels of
moisture and humidity and. For
reason they flourish in tropical
forests. In fact, regardless of
where they are, an abundance
of ferns imparts an impression
of the topical forests to human
observers.

16. Conifers
The gymnosperms add the next
level of complexity to plant
evolution: they reproduce from
seeds instead of spores. The
seeds, however, are "naked"
(Greek: gummnos) -- not
covered by an ovary. Usually,
the seed is produced inside a
cone-like structure such as a
pine cone hence the name
"conifer."

17. Conifers
Some conifers, such as the Yew
and Ginko, produce their seeds
inside a berry-like structure.
Conifers are fairly easy to
identify: In addition to the
aforementioned cones, these
trees and shrubs typically have
needle-like, scale-like or awl-like
leaves. And they never have
flowers.

18. Conifers
Approximately 600 species are
counted as conifers including
the pines, firs, spruces, cedars,
junipers, and yew. Species
within the conifer ranks give us
pine nuts -- pesto's magic
ingredient -- as well as juniper
berries for gin.

19. Flowering Dicot Plants
Angiosperms add the final
improvement to plant
reproduction: they grow their
seeds inside an ovary (Greek:
angeion = vessel) which is,
itself, embedded in a flower.
After it is fertilized, the flower
falls away and the ovary swells
to become a fruit.

20. Flowering Dicot Plants
Angiosperms in the class
Dicotyledoneae grow two seed-
leaves (cotyledons). In addition,
foliage leaves typically have a
single, branching, main vein
originating at the base of the
leaf blade, or three or more
main veins that diverge from the
base.

21. Flowering Dicot Plants
The vast majority of plants are
Dicots. Most trees, shrubs,
vines, and flowers belong to this
group of around 200,000
species. Most fruits, vegetables
and legumes come from this
class.

22. Flowering Dicot Plants
The class Dicotylodonea is
large and diverse. Dicot plants
range from tiny plants to
tremendous trees; fleshy
succulents to delicate herbs that
dry out almost as soon as
they're picked; large and
complex flower heads to tiny
flowers that barely deserve the
name; annuals and perenials;
deciduous and evergreen.

23. Flowering Dicot Plants
Each plant can be described
with 100 features including size,
shape, color, and features of the
entire plant, leaves, flowers, and
fruit.
Around 300 families of flowering
plants are currently identified as
Dicots.

24. Flowering Monocot Plants
Monocots start with one seed-
leaf. The main veins of their
foliage leaves are usually
unbranched and nearly parallel
to each other. Around 30,000
plants are classified as
monocots including many of the
prettiest members of kingdom
Plantae: orchids, lilies, irises,
palms and even the Bird-of-
Paradise plant.

25. Flowering Monocot Plants
The grasses which carpet our
lawns and meadows are also
monocots.
Monocots provide us with our
primary sources of nutrition,
supplying us and the animals
we eat with grains such as
wheat, oats, and corn, as well
as fruits such as dates and
bananas.