​​PLANT CLASSIFICATION

​I. Plants are first classified into flowering and nonflowering plants.

• All flowering plants produce seeds.

  • This is the function of a flower: to produce seeds.

• For nonflowering plants, there are several different ways to reproduce (Pine and Cypress Trees)

  • Some nonflowering plants produce cones.

  • Cones contain many seeds inside, and when the cone falls from the tree the seeds are released and can spread.

• Some nonflowering plants produce spores to reproduce (Ferns and Mosses)

  • Spores are like very fine powder that can float on the wind to spread.

​II. ​Every plant uses the energy of the Sun to produce its own food.

• Photosynthesis: Plants combine carbon dioxide in the air with water. Plants use the energy of the Sun to break apart the molecules of carbon dioxide and water, and reassemble them to make sugar.

  • There is some leftover oxygen which the plants get rid of.

​III. Some plants use roots and stems to transport water to the parts of the plant that make food.

• some plants such as mosses and lichens absorb water directly from the air, and do not have roots.

​IV. ​Plants with stems use those stems for support and transport.

• The stem lifts the food‐making leaves high above the ground to get sunlight.

• the stem supports the branches and leaves.

• stems are also transporting water and nutrients to the other parts of the plant

  • In trees, the stem is called a trunk.

​V. ​The outside covering of a plant protects the plant and keeps moisture inside.

• thick bark of a tree protects it from damage from sunlight, weather, insects, animals, and fire.

• The bark keeps moisture inside the plant