Classification of Plants

Classification of Plants
Plants are all unique regarding physical
appearance, structure, and physiological
behavior. Aside from that, they also vary in
their habitats, tolerance, and nutrient
requirement. So with that kind of diversity,
the big question is, how do you exactly
start to classify them? Good thing botanists
have already devised ways to classify them.
In fact, classifying plants is considered as
one of the oldest approaches in studying
botany.
In general, botanists group plants into two
major groups: non-vascular and vascular. The
former being composed of early plants while the
latter consists of plants which had developed a
vascular system. However, this kind of grouping
seems to be very general and covers a wide
variety of scope. The more commonly used plant
classification is the more specific one: by
classifying them into different phyla.
Non-Vascular Plants
The first classification of plants is the non-
vascular plants; As their name implies,
nonvascular plants lack vascular tissues
that can help them transport water and
nutrients. Nonvascular plants are
considered to be the earliest living plants in
the planet. However, fossils have not been
found because these types of
plants fossilized poorly. The most common
non-vascular plants include the members
of the Phylum Bryophyta.
Bryophytes are an informal group consisting of
three divisions of non-vascular land plants (embryophytes):
the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. They are
characteristically limited in size and prefer moist habitats
although they can survive in drier environments. The
bryophytes consist of about 20,000 plant
species. Bryophytes produce enclosed reproductive
structures (gametangia and sporangia), but they do not
produce flowers or seeds. They reproduce via spores.
Bryophytes are usually considered to be
a paraphyletic group and not a monophyletic group,
although some studies have produced contrary results.
Regardless of their status, the name is convenient and
remains in use as an informal collective term. The term
"bryophyte" comes from Greek βρύον, bryon "tree-moss,
oyster-green" and φυτόν, phyton "plant".
Vascular Plants
Also the next classification of plants is also
known as the tracheophytes, vascular plants
have been allowed by evolution to possess
vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) that aid
them to transport water and minerals. All
other plants like the members of the Phylum
Pteridophyta, Gymnosperms, and Angiosperms
are classified as vascular plants. The said plant
phyla are described below.
A pteridophyte is a vascular
plant (with xylem and phloem) that reproduces
using spores. Because pteridophytes produce
neither flowers nor seeds, they are also referred to as
"cryptogams", meaning that their means of reproduction
is hidden. The pteridophytes include the ferns, horsetails,
and the lycophytes (clubmosses, spikemosses,
and quillworts). These are not a monophyletic
group because ferns and horsetails are more closely
related to seed plants than to the lycophytes. Therefore,
"Pteridophyta" is no longer a widely accepted taxon,
although the term pteridophyte remains in common
parlance, as do pteridology and pteridologist as a science
and its practitioner, to indicate lycophytes and ferns as an
informal grouping, such as the International Association
of Pteridologists and the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group.
The gymnosperms, also known as Acrogymnospermae, are a group of seed-producing
plants that includes conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetophytes. The term
"gymnosperm" comes from the composite word
in Greek: γυμνόσπερμος (γυμνός, gymnos, 'naked' and σπέρμα, sperma, 'seed'),
literally meaning "naked seeds". The name is based on the unenclosed condition of
their seeds (called ovules in their unfertilized state). The non-encased condition of
their seeds contrasts with the seeds and ovules of flowering plants (angiosperms),
which are enclosed within an ovary. Gymnosperm seeds develop either on the surface
of scales or leaves, which are often modified to form cones, or solitary as
in yew, Torreya, Ginkgo.
The gymnosperms and angiosperms together compose the spermatophytes or seed
plants. The gymnosperms are divided into six phyla. Organisms that belong to the
Cycadophyta, Ginkgophyta, Gnetophyta, and Pinophyta (also known as Coniferophyta)
phyla are still in existence while those in the Pteridospermales and Cordaitales phyla
are now extinct.
By far the largest group of living gymnosperms are the conifers (pines, cypresses, and
relatives), followed by cycads, gnetophytes (Gnetum, Ephedra and Welwitschia),
and Ginkgo biloba (a single living species).
Roots in some genera have fungal association with roots in the form of mycorrhiza,
(Pinus), while in some others (Cycas) small specialised roots called coralloid roots are
associated with nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria.
A Video About The Classification of Plants

The Plant Kingdom_ Characteristics and Classification _ Educational Videos for Kids.mp4
1.Gymnosperms is also known as?
2.Bryophytes consist of about _______ plant
species.
3.The Pteridospermales and Cordaitales phyla
are now ______.
4.Because pteridophytes produce
neither flowers nor seeds, they are also
referred to as “__________"
5.The most common non-vascular plants
include the members of the
________________.
Answers:
1. Acrogymnospermae
2.20,000
3.Extinct
4.Cryptograms
5.Phylum Bryophata or Bryophytes