Download IV. Types of Plants

IV. Types of Plants
1. Vascular vs. Non-vascular plants
Non-vascular – a plant that lacks the
specialized tissues to transport water
(have no xylem). All are small plants,
ex : Bryophytes.
Bryophytes – simple non-vascular
plants that only grow in moist
environments, ex : moss.
Vascular – a plant having tissues with
tube-like structures (xylem &
phloem) that transport water & other
materials. All are large plants, ex :
pines, ferns, & flowering plants.
2. Seed plants vs. Seedless plants
In seed producing plants : gametes fuse &
form a seed, ex : Gymnosperms/Angiosperms.
Gymnosperm – a non-flowering vascular
plant that produces seeds inside of a cone, ex :
pines, firs, spruces, cypresses, & redwoods.
-Seeds of gymnosperms are said to be “naked”
because they lie exposed on the scales of the
cones that contain them (not protected by a
fruit).
Angiosperms & Seedless Plants
Angiosperm – vascular plants
that produce seeds enclosed in a
fruit (flowering plants), ex : all
flowers, apples, cherries, grapes,
tomatoes, grass, acorns, walnuts, etc.
Seedless plants – form gametes from
their haploid generations, ex :
mosses & ferns.
-Gametes fuse & immediately grow
into an embryo.
3. Monocots vs. Dicots
Monocots – angiosperms with a
single cotyledon, parallel veins,
& flower parts in multiples of
three, ex : corn.
Dicots – angiosperms with two
cotyledons, net venation, &
flower parts in multiples of fours
or fives, ex : tomatoes & beans.
-One can tell the difference
between monocots & dicots by
counting the number of
cotyledons it has.
Cotyledon – an embryo seed leaf.
A plant’s first leaves.
Differences between Monocots and Dicots :
1. Monocot leaves have
parallel veins; dicot veins
form branching networks.
2. Monocot flower parts are
in 3’s; dicot flower parts
are in 4’s and 5’s.
3. Monocot stems have
scattered vascular
bundles & dicot stems
have vascular
bundles in a ring.