The Plant Kingdom
Chapter 1
Evolution of Plants
• 3.5 billion years ago = bacteria &
blue/green algae.
• 1 billion years ago = green algae
• 600 million years ago = 02 could
support life.
• 400 million years ago = land
plants.
• 350 million years ago = seed
plants.
Geographical Distribution
• All over the earth with few limiting
factors which are:
• Climate
– Water
– Temperature
Roles of Plants
• Photosynthetic Process
• Autotrophs
• C02 and H20
• Sunlight & Chlorophyll
• Glucose, O2, & H20
• Energy Capture
Food (Edible Plants)
• What parts of a plant do we eat?
• Roots
• Stems
• Leaves
• Flowers
• Seeds (Cereal Grains)
• Fruits
• Tubers
Edible Plants
• Sugar
• Angiosperms
– Largest amount of plants we eat
come from this classification.
Industrial Uses
• Wood
– Houses, furniture, turpentine
• Fibers
– Cotton, flax, hemp,
• Oils
– Soybean, coconut, cottonseed,..
• Rubber
Medicinal Uses
• Health benefits
• Most pharmaceuticals
• Antibiotics
Other Uses
• Fossil Fuels
• Prehistoric Plants-captured solar
energy
• Oil and Gas
• Buried Plant material that has
undergone chemical changes
Animal –vs- Plant Kingdoms
• Mobile
• Need to feed
themselves
• Lack a cell wall of
cellulose (flaccid)
• Cellulose not
synthesized
• Growth is limited
• Generally not mobile
• Contain chlorophyll
to make own food
• Cell walls made of
cellulose
• Cellulose synthesized
by cells
• Growth is
unlimited
Kingdom Plantae
• 500,000 kinds of plants exist.
• Many don’t fit well.
• Recent trends based on evolutionary
origins & Relationship.
– Monera; the bacteria & blue green algae.
– Protista; all other algae & the protozoans.
– Mycota, fungi; such as mushrooms &
molds
– Plantae; mosses, ferns, seed plants
& several minor groups.
Taxonomy
• Theophrastus (370-285 B.C)
started to record names.
• Used Common Names.
• Cause confusion
Plant Classification
• There must be a systematic
method to evaluate the species of
the planet consistently. There are
many ways.
• Nomenclature is the system of
assigning names.
Nomenclature
• Scientific communities use Latin,Greek,
and Arabic to name
• Names are use to signify origins or
characteristics
• For example: names for leaves are
phylla, follia, phyllon, folius
• Prefixes are also used: micro-small
macro-large
• Microphylla, Magnolia grandiflora
Classification
• Carl von Linne is the creator of the
classification system by the
publication of Hortus in 1732
• Binomial – Two names the Genus
and the species. Genus always
capitalized and species lower
case and both should be
italicized.
How to Classify Plants
• Phylogenetic = How they look
• Environmental = where they grow
(climate regions)
• Agricultural = What use they are
grown for
• Natural/morpholigal = how
their structures compares
Artificial Classification
Systems
• Climatic
• Agricultural
Botanical Systems
• Structure of the plants
Example of a complete
classification of an Onion
plant.
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Anthophyta
Class: Monocotyledonae
Order: Liliales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Genus: Allium
Species: Allium cepa L
Divisions or phylla
• Thallophyta - algae, and fungi no
tissue differentiation.
• Bryophyta – green plants w/o true
roots or flowers. Mosses & liverworts
• Pteridophyta - green plants with
vascular system, true roots, usually
distinct leaves & stems but no true
flowers or seeds, has spores
• Spermatophyta – plants with
true flowers producing seeds.
Further Separation
• Spermatophyta-further divided:
gymnosperms & angiosperms
– Gymnospermae = naked seed
(in cones)
– Angiospermae = seed protected
• Subclasses-Angiosperms: Mono &
dicotyledons
Class
• Monocotyledoneae = one
cotyledon, generally parallel veins,
flower parts in 3’s & 6’s.
• Dicotyledoneae = two cotyledon,
net-veined leaves, flower parts
in 4’s & 5’s or multiples of 4’s
& 5’s
Lower Subdivisions
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species
• Form
• Variety/Cultivar/Clone
Sub specific Categories
• Botanical Variety-different from
wild hence var..
• Cultivar-little genetic variation
“cv”
• Hybrid-crossbreeding use an “x”
• Family-closely related genera
nightshade, sunflower
New Taxonomic Tools
• Chemical analysis – composition of
the plant
• Protein analysis
• DNA analysis – genetic finger
printing.