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Plant Classification Notes
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All plants are placed into the PLANT KINGDOM. They are then divided into two groups based on how they
transport materials:
Nonvascular plants—must move water and food from cell to cell. No true roots, stems, or leaves.
Plants must grow in wet environments, and are very small in size.
Examples are mosses, liverworts, and hornworts!!
Vascular Plants—have tubes to move water and food throughout the plant. They have true roots, stems, and
leaves. Vascular plants are the LARGEST GROUP OF PLANTS. Most plants that you know are vascular. Examples
include trees and shrubs with WOODY stems, and grass, dandelions, and tomato plants that have
HERBACEOUS stems (soft and green.)
Xylem—tubes that transport water
Phloem—tubes that transport food
They are able to grow tall and in drier places because of their vascular tissue.
Vascular Plants are divided into two groups based on how they reproduce:
Spore-producing plants—make spores instead of seeds; spores are MUCH smaller than seeds, and
much simpler. Examples of plants that make spores are mosses and FERNS.
Seed-producing plants—make seeds to reproduce. Seeds have several parts:
 Embryo—the baby plant; will become the new plant
 Cotyledon—stored food for the baby plant
 Seed coat—outer covering that protects the developing plant and stored food
Seed producing plants are divided into two groups based on how their seeds develop:
Gymnosperms (cone-bearing plants)—seeds develop in cones, unprotected by a fruit.
No flowers and no fruit are produced; Most CONIFERS (plants that make cones) have
Needle-like leaves; examples are pine, spruce, redwood, cedar, and juniper trees
Angiosperms (flowers and fruits)—seeds develop in an OVARY, which is inside a flower.
The flower becomes the fruit, which contains the seeds.
Examples include most trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
Flowering plants are divided into two groups based on the structure of their seeds.
Monocots—short for MONOCOTYLEDON; type of plant that has:
 1 food storage area in the seed
 Flower parts in 3’s or multiples of 3
 Parallel veins on slender leaves
 Scattered vascular bundles
 Examples are grass, corn, rice, lilies, and tulips
Dicots—short for DICOTYLEDON; type of plant that has:
 2 food storage areas in the seed
 Flower parts in 4’s or 5’s or multiples of these numbers
 Branching veins on wide leaves
 Vascular bundles arranged in circular pattern
 Examples include roses, dandelions, maple, and oak trees