Standard Compare the characteristic structures of various groups of plants – including vascular or nonvascular, seed or spore-producing, flowering or cone- bearing, and monocot or dicot.

Neatly print an explanation of why you placed the plant in each square. If you now realize your specimen is not in the correct square, tell why it isn’t and where it should go. If you didn’t have a specimen for a square, draw one and tell why you placed that drawing in the square.

The plant kingdom is broken down into four smaller divisions How they absorb & circulate fluids – vascular and nonvascular How they reproduce – spores or seeds Method of seed production – cones (gymnosperms) or flowers (angiosperms) Type of seed leaf – monocot or dicot

Vascular Plants Largest group Have true roots, stems, & leaves Tube-like structures that give support and help move water & minerals throughout the plant - Xylem (tubes that carry water & minerals from roots to the rest of the tree) phloem (tubes that carry food from the leaves to the rest of the plant)

Examples of vascular plants –trees and many shrubs with woody stems & grow very tall –Grasses, dandelions & tomato plants with soft herbaceous stems.

Nonvascular Plants Do not have a system for transporting water and food – no true roots, stems, or leaves. Must get nutrients directly from the environment and send it from cell to cell throughout the plant – very small in size. Examples: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.

Nonvascular plants Hornworts Mosses Liverworts

Seed-producing Plants Reproduce through seeds. They make their own seeds. Seeds contain the plant embryo (the beginning of roots, stems & leaves) and stored food (cotyledons) and are surrounded by a seed coat. Two major groups – cone-bearing and flowering plants

Spore-producing Plants Produce spores for reproduction instead of seeds. Spores are much smaller than seeds. Almost all flowerless plants produce spores. Examples include mosses and ferns.

Examples of spore-producing plants

Flowering Plants Differ from conifers because they grow their seeds inside an ovary, which is embedded in a flower. The flower then becomes a fruit containing the seeds. Examples: most trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.

Examples of flowering plants

Cone-bearing Plants Most are evergreen with needle-like leaves. Conifers never have flowers but produce seeds in cones Examples: pine, spruce, juniper, redwood, and cedar trees.

Examples of cone-bearing plants Redwoods Pine Juniper Cedar Spruce

Angiosperm or Gymnosperm? htm

Monocot A seed with one food storage area Flowers have either 3 petals or multiples of three. Leaves are long & slender with veins that are parallel to each other. Vascular tube system is scattered randomly throughout the stem. Examples: grass, corn, rice, iris, & tulips

Examples of monocot leaves

Dicot Seed has 2 food storage areas. Flowers have either 4 or 5 petals or multiples of 4 or 5. Leaves are usually wide with branching veins. Vascular tubes are arranged in circular bundles. Examples: rose, dandelions, maple & oak trees.

Examples of dicot leaves