Plant Classes and Life Cycles
Plant Science
Classification of Plants
Four Major Groups
1. gymnosperms
2. angiosperms
3. mosses
4. ferns
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Gymnosperms
• plants that produce seeds not protected by fruit
• means "naked seed" in Greek• examples:
– pines, firs, spruces– redwood– ginkgo
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Angiosperms
• plants that flower and produce seeds protected by fruit or pods
• means "covered seed" or "enclosed seed" in Greek
• made up of two classes: – monocotyledons (a.k.a. "monocots")
– dicotyledons (a.k.a. "dicots")4www.OneLessThing.net
Characteristics of Moncots
• seeds have one cotyledon
• seedlings have one seed leaf
• vascular bundles are scattered
• leaves have parallel veins
• flower parts are in multiples of 3
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Characteristics of Dicots
• seeds have two cotyledons
• seedlings have two seed leaves
• vascular bundles are arranged in a circle
• leaves have netted veins
• flower parts are in multiples of 4 or 5
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Plant Taxonomy
• Scientific naming system used today is called binomial nomenclature
• developed by Linnaeus; names are in Latin and written in italics
• the first name is the genus
• the second name is the species
• species can be further subdivided into varieties
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Life Cycles of Plants
Three Major Groups
1. annuals
2. biennials
3. perennials
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Annuals
• plants that complete their life cycle in one year• examples:
– tomatoes– marigolds– pansies
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Biennials
• plants that complete their life cycle in two growing seasons
• examples:– hollyhock– parsley
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Perennials
• plants that produce for more than two years• divided into two classes:
– herbaceous– woody
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Two Classes of Perennials
• herbaceous: plants that have soft stems that are killed by frost
• perennials: have stems and buds that can survive winter frost (trees for example)
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