Plant Classification

How Are Plants Classified?

Scientists group plants based on their physical traits and evolution over time.

• Plant classification is part of taxonomy, the science of naming and organizing life.

• Main plant categories (from broad to specific):


Kingdom → Division → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species

• Two major groups of plants:


      🔸 Non-vascular plants: no tubes for water movement (e.g.,                     mosses)


      🔸 Vascular plants: have xylem and phloem to transport                            water/nutrients

• Vascular plants are further divided into:


       🔹 Seedless (e.g., ferns)


       🔹 Seed plants 

Evolutionary Relationships Among Plants

Plants evolved over millions of years, gaining features like seeds, flowers, and fruits to survive better.

• Non-vascular plants (mosses, liverworts) appear first and need moist environments.
• Seedless vascular plants (ferns) have roots and tubes but reproduce by spores.
• Gymnosperms (pines, firs) have seeds in cones, no flowers.
• Angiosperms (roses, sunflowers, trees):


      🔹 Most evolved group


      🔹 Have flowers to attract pollinators


      🔹 Produce fruits to protect and spread seeds

• Evolutionary trees (called cladograms) show how plants are related by common ancestors.

Fun Facts

Here are some interesting facts about plants:

• There are over 390,000 known species of plants!
• Banana plants are actually giant herbs, not trees!
• Some carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps are angiosperms!
• The cactus is a flowering plant, even though it rarely blooms.
• Algae aren’t classified as true plants, even though they do photosynthesis.

Review

Let’s quickly recap what we learned about plant classification:

• What type of plant produces cones? Gymnosperm
• What part of a plant helps attract pollinators? Flower
• What do ferns use to reproduce? Spores
• What is the most advanced plant group? Angiosperm