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Plant Taxonomy
Taxonomy: The science of
classification.
Why are classification and scientific
names important?
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For specificity and accuracy
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Example:
Hemerocallis Common Names
- Daylily
- Lily
- Ditch Lily
- Lemon Lily
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For Cultural management (Families)
Carolus Linneaus
(aka Karl von Linne)
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Swedish Botanist
May 23, 1701 – Jan. 10, 1778
He published Species
Plantarum in 1753.
He based his plant classification
system on the plant’s method of
reproduction and structure of
reproductive parts.
‘Introduced’ binomial
nomenclature. Species
Plantarum is the starting point
of the binomial system of
nomenclature.
Carl Info!
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Check this out!
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Cultivar
King Phillip Called Out For Good Soup
Kingdom Plantae is divided into 12
Phyla based on reproductive and
vascular characteristics.
1. Bryophyta: Mosses
2. Hepatophyta: Liverworts
3. Anthosphyta: Hornworts
4. Lycophyta: Club mosses
5. Psilophyta: Whisk Ferns
6. Equisetophyta: Horsetails
7. Pterophyta: Ferns
8. Cycadophyta: Cycads
9. Ginkgophyta: Ginkgo
10. Coniferophyta: Conifers
11. Gnetophyta: Ephedra,
Gnetum, Welwitschia
12. Angiospermophyta: Seed
Plants (monocots and
dicots)
Example: Butterflyweed
(Asclepias tuberosa)
Kingdom: Plantae (all plants)
Phylum: Angiospermophyta (all flowering plants)
Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
Order: Gentianales (all plants with united petals and fused
reproductive parts)
Family: Asclepiadaceae (plants with a specific pattern of
fused reproductive floral parts)
Genus: Asclepias (all milkweeds)
Species: tuberosa (a specific kind (species) of milkweed
with orange flowers and tuberous roots)
Plant Evolutionary Theory
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Lower Plants
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Spore bearing plants with and
without vascular systems are
‘Lower Plants’
Higher Plants
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Seed-bearing plants with
vascular systems are ‘Higher
Plants’
Gymnosperms and
Angiosperms are broad
categories of seed bearing
plants.
Gymnosperms
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Gymnosperms have seeds with no covering
(ie: a fruit or a seed coat). They bear woody
cones that hold the seeds.
Gymnos means naked, sperm means seed:
gymnosperm = naked seeds
There are 700 living species placed into four
divisions: conifers, cycads, ginkgos, and
gnetales (such as Ephedra).
Angiosperms
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Angiosperms were the last of
the seed plant groups to evolve.
Angiosperms all produce
flowers containing the sexual
reproduction structures.
The angiosperms
(angios=covered, sperm = seed)
produce fruits and seeds. There
are presently 235,000 known
living species.
Primitive Versus Advanced
Floral Characteristics
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Primitive
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Flower parts many,
more than ten
Flower parts free (not
united or fused)
Superior ovary
Flowers with radial
symmetry
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Advanced
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Flower parts few, ten
or less
Flower parts united
or fused
Inferior ovary
Flowers with
bilateral symmetry