Kingdom Plantae

Characteristics

All plants are multi-cellularHave a complex cell structure, have cell

walls, and contain chlorophyllBoth the largest and longest living things

on Earth are plants.

2 Main Groups

Non-vascularVascular

Non-Vascular Plants

Do not have water conducting tissues.Because they cannot conduct water

internally, these plants cannot grow very large.

Must live in moist environments (shaded environments, ocean floors, etc.)◦ Examples: Mosses and liverworts

Liverworts

Grow together in tightly packed mats.This helps them to conserve water.This also helps make reproduction

possible, because the plants use water to pass along genetic information.

Mosses

The tiny capsules that appear at the top of moss plants contain spores.

Vascular Plants

Conduct water, minerals, and food molecules throughout their bodies.

They do this through roots, stems, and leaves.

Vascular tissues holds the plant up and allows it to get tall.

Without vascular tissue, plants could never grow more than 10-20 cm tall.

5 Types of Vascular Plants

Club MossesHoresetailsFernsGymnospermsAngiosperms

Club Mosses

Vascular plants that resemble mossesThe stems of club mosses are much

sturdier due to their vascular tissues and therefore they can grow much larger than mosses.

Horsetails

Have hollow stems with many vertical ridges and joints.

Their stems feel gritty due to the presence of silica, the material in sand.

Because they are gritty and coarse, early settlers often used them to scour pots and pans.

Ferns

Have distinctive leaves called fronds The stems of ferns remain below ground.The bumps that appear on the underside

of the fronds are not a disease or bugs, they are structures that contain spores.

Gymnosperms

One of the two types of seed plantsMost are conifers

◦Cone-bearing plantsExamples: Pine trees, spruce trees, juniper

trees, and cypress trees

Angiosperms

Flowering PlantsThe largest most diverse group of modern

plants.Their seeds are produced inside of a

special structure called an ovary which is part of the flower.◦The ovary of a flower ripens into a fruit

Examples: Grass, palms, oranges, lily

Angiosperms