Plant and plant life

There are about 320 thousand species of plants, of which the great majority, some 260–290
thousand, are seed plants (see the table below).[5] Green plants provide a substantial proportion of
the world's molecular oxygen[6] and are the basis of most of Earth's ecosystems, especially on land.
Plants that produce grain, fruit and vegetables form humankind's basic foods, and have
been domesticated for millennia. Plants have many cultural and other uses, as ornaments, building
materials, writing material and, in great variety, they have been the source of
medicines and psychoactive drugs. The scientific study of plants is known as botany, a branch
of biology.

The study of plants is important because they are a fundamental part of life on Earth, generating
food, oxygen, fuel, medicine and fibers that allow other life forms to exist.

Fossilized plants provide energetically in the form of fossil fuels such as oil and coal. Given
the importance of plants in every aspect of our lives, humans study plants to understand processes
that are critical to our own survival and to the health of the planet

It is native to northern Africa, Europe, and Asia, but has spread throughout the world. The plant is
relatively important in the diet of some species of birds such as European thrushes,[citation
needed] which feed on its fruits, being immune to its poisons, and scatter the seeds abroad. It grows
in all types of terrain with a preference for wetlands[citation needed] and the understory of riparian
forests. Along with other climbers, it creates a dark and impenetrable shelter for varied animals. The
plant grows well in dark areas in places where it can receive the light of morning or afternoon. An
area receiving bright light for many hours reduces their development.[citation needed] It grows
more easily in rich wet soils with plenty of nitrogen.

…and then

Although fatal human poisonings are rare, several cases have been documented. The poison is
believed to be solanine.