Classifying Plants
Standards:
Students will be able to
demonstrate how plants are sorted
into groups.
• Essential Questions:
How is the classification of plants and
animals similar and different?
Vocabulary to Know
• Botanist
• Vascular plant
• Nonvascular plant
Plants
• Plants do not have fur, scales, or blood,
so how are they classified?
Like animals, plants are divided into two
main groups. Then these two groups
are divided into smaller groups.
The ways that plants get their food and
the ways that they create new plants
will help you classify them.
Who studies plants?
A botanist is a scientist who specializes
in the study of plants. They classify
plants based on their characteristics
(vascular and nonvascular).
You could call them “Plant Explorers.”
How are they
classified?
• One way that plants can be classified is
by how they carry water. Plants can
either be Vascular or Nonvascular.
• Vascular means “having tubes”
• Nonvascular mean “not having tubes”
Vascular Plant
Plants that have tubes, roots, stems, and leaves.
These plants stand up tall.
Why are these trees
vascular?
They have tubes, roots, stems, and
leaves.
They also stand up tall.
More Vascular Plants
Nonvascular Plant
Plants that do not have tubes, roots, stems,
or leaves. These plants soak up water and
food from the soil, like sponges. They are
also much smaller than vascular plants.
Why is this an example of a
Non-Vascular plant?
Non-Vascular Plants have no roots,
stems, or leaves. They also don’t
have any tubes.
Vascular or Non-Vascular?
Non-Vascular
Vascular or Non-Vascular?
Vascular
Moss on the Tree:
Vascular or Non-Vascular?
Non-Vascular
Vascular or Non-Vascular?
Vascular