KINGDOM PLANTAE:
TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
A. Basic Characteristics of All Plants
1. They are eukaryotic organisms and possess cells.
2. They possess pigment chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
3. Each cell is surrounded by a cell wall (made of cellulose) which gives the entire plant support
and keeps them from drying out.
4. Most are anchored to the ground with roots or root like structures.
5. Plants that live on land have a waxy layer called the cuticle which covers their leaves to prevent
water from being lost to the air.
a. Without a cuticle, the leaves would lose the water before it can be used to make food in
photosynthesis.
b. Cuticle keeps water inside the leaf.
B. Vascular and Nonvascular
1. Vascular plants: These are plants that have tube like tissues that transport materials throughout
the plant.
a. Xylem: It is a tubular tissue that transports water and minerals from the roots throughout the
entire plant. Getting water to the leaves is especially important for food production
(photosynthesis).
b. Phloem: It is a tubular tissue that transports food (glucose) made in the leaves to the rest of the
plant. The food may be used immediately by the cells or it may be stored for later use.
c. Cambium: It is a layer of growth tissue between the xylem and phloem. The cambium is
responsible for producing new xylem and phloem cells.
2. Nonvascular plants: These are plants that do not have tube like tissues to transport materials.
Nonvascular plants rely on diffusion to transport water, minerals, and food throughout the plant.
These plants cannot grow very tall since they have no transportation tubes.
II. Seedless Plants
A. Mosses is an example of nonvascular seedless plants. Mosses are made up of leaf like
structures growing around a stalk and are anchored to the ground with root like structures called
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,rhizoids. They reproduce by alternating asexual and sexual stages - this is known as alternation
of generations. During the asexual stage, a sporophyte plant grows and produces spores. If the
spores land in a moist environment, they will develop into gametophyte plants (sexual stage). The
male gametophyte will produce sperm, the male sex cell (sex cells are called gametes) while the
female gametophyte will produce eggs, the female gamete. When moisture is present, the sperm
will be released and swim to the egg, fertilizing it (this means that the haploid gametes combine
to form a diploid fertilized egg called a zygote). The zygote will grow (by mitosis) and develop
into the sporophyte plant— the cycle starts over.
B. Ferns: It is an example of vascular, seedless plants. The part of the fern plant that we usually
see is the feathery leaf called the frond, which grows from an underground stem called the
rhizome. Roots grow from the rhizome to anchor the fern and to absorb water and minerals from
the soil. Ferns also have an alternation of generations when they reproduce. The frond is the
sporophyte generation, producing spores in spore cases called sori on the underside of the leaf. A
spore landing in a moist area will develop into small heart-shaped gametophyte plant called a
prothallus, which produces both sperm and eggs— these meet and fertilize to form a zygote. The
zygote then develops into the sporophyte (the frond), and the cycle repeats itself. Since ferns are
vascular and can transport water and food, they can grow to be very tall. The fossil fuel deposits
used today formed from ferns and other plant material that collected in swamps and were buried
by sediment, changing over time into coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
III. Seed Plants: Their Structure and Functions
A. Parts of Complex Seed Plants
1. Roots
a. Roots have 2 major functions:
(i) To absorb water and dissolved minerals from the soil and transport them through the xylem
(they are “true roots” since they contain vascular tissue).
(ii) Roots anchor the plant in the ground so they are not knocked over by wind or water.
(iii) It also help to prevent soil erosion by holding the soil in place so it is not blown or washed
away. In some plants, food is stored in the roots if it is not needed immediately (eg. carrots, beets,
radishes).
2
, 2. Stems
(i) Stems support the plant’s leaves so that they can compete for sunlight and the flowers to be
pollinated for reproduction.
(ii) Some stems can store water (eg. cactus) and some store food (eg. potatoes and onions—
examples of underground stems).
Two types of stems are:
(i) Herbaceous stems: They are soft, green, flexible stems found in plants that complete their life
cycle in one growing season (they grow from a seed, produce new seeds, and die). Since they only
live one year (they are called annuals). They do not need a cambium layer because they do not
need to grow new xylem and phloem for the next year.
(ii) Woody stems: They are strong, rigid stems containing a large amount of xylem tissue. Each
year, the cambium grows a new set of xylem and phloem cells in woody plants. The new layer of
cells wraps around last year’s layer, producing the annual rings found in woody stems, such as
trees. Woody plants that grow for more than 2 years are called perennials, while those that grow
for only 2 growing seasons are called biennials.
3. Leaves
Leaves consist of 2 parts namely the stalk (connects the leaf to the stem) and the blade (the thin,
flat part). Leaves that have only one blade are called simple leaves, while those made up of two
or more blades are called compound leaves. Leaves are responsible for carrying out
photosynthesis by capturing the sun’s energy in the chloroplasts and using it to combine water
(from the soil) and carbon dioxide (from the air) to form glucose, the food for the plant. The
structures that make up the leaf are designed for this photosynthetic process.
Leave structures are:
(i) Upper epidermis: They are thin, protective layer of cells (the cells do not contain chlorophyll
so that the light may pass directly through them to the palisade layer). This layer is covered by the
cuticle to prevent loss of water.
(ii) Palisade cells: They are long, rectangular cells packed tightly together under the upper
epidermis. These cells trap sunlight in their chloroplasts to produce food through photosynthesis.
(iii) Spongy cells: They are irregularly-shaped cells that are loosely packed together, creating air
spaces. These cells also trap light and produce food.
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TYPES OF PLANTS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
A. Basic Characteristics of All Plants
1. They are eukaryotic organisms and possess cells.
2. They possess pigment chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
3. Each cell is surrounded by a cell wall (made of cellulose) which gives the entire plant support
and keeps them from drying out.
4. Most are anchored to the ground with roots or root like structures.
5. Plants that live on land have a waxy layer called the cuticle which covers their leaves to prevent
water from being lost to the air.
a. Without a cuticle, the leaves would lose the water before it can be used to make food in
photosynthesis.
b. Cuticle keeps water inside the leaf.
B. Vascular and Nonvascular
1. Vascular plants: These are plants that have tube like tissues that transport materials throughout
the plant.
a. Xylem: It is a tubular tissue that transports water and minerals from the roots throughout the
entire plant. Getting water to the leaves is especially important for food production
(photosynthesis).
b. Phloem: It is a tubular tissue that transports food (glucose) made in the leaves to the rest of the
plant. The food may be used immediately by the cells or it may be stored for later use.
c. Cambium: It is a layer of growth tissue between the xylem and phloem. The cambium is
responsible for producing new xylem and phloem cells.
2. Nonvascular plants: These are plants that do not have tube like tissues to transport materials.
Nonvascular plants rely on diffusion to transport water, minerals, and food throughout the plant.
These plants cannot grow very tall since they have no transportation tubes.
II. Seedless Plants
A. Mosses is an example of nonvascular seedless plants. Mosses are made up of leaf like
structures growing around a stalk and are anchored to the ground with root like structures called
1
,rhizoids. They reproduce by alternating asexual and sexual stages - this is known as alternation
of generations. During the asexual stage, a sporophyte plant grows and produces spores. If the
spores land in a moist environment, they will develop into gametophyte plants (sexual stage). The
male gametophyte will produce sperm, the male sex cell (sex cells are called gametes) while the
female gametophyte will produce eggs, the female gamete. When moisture is present, the sperm
will be released and swim to the egg, fertilizing it (this means that the haploid gametes combine
to form a diploid fertilized egg called a zygote). The zygote will grow (by mitosis) and develop
into the sporophyte plant— the cycle starts over.
B. Ferns: It is an example of vascular, seedless plants. The part of the fern plant that we usually
see is the feathery leaf called the frond, which grows from an underground stem called the
rhizome. Roots grow from the rhizome to anchor the fern and to absorb water and minerals from
the soil. Ferns also have an alternation of generations when they reproduce. The frond is the
sporophyte generation, producing spores in spore cases called sori on the underside of the leaf. A
spore landing in a moist area will develop into small heart-shaped gametophyte plant called a
prothallus, which produces both sperm and eggs— these meet and fertilize to form a zygote. The
zygote then develops into the sporophyte (the frond), and the cycle repeats itself. Since ferns are
vascular and can transport water and food, they can grow to be very tall. The fossil fuel deposits
used today formed from ferns and other plant material that collected in swamps and were buried
by sediment, changing over time into coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
III. Seed Plants: Their Structure and Functions
A. Parts of Complex Seed Plants
1. Roots
a. Roots have 2 major functions:
(i) To absorb water and dissolved minerals from the soil and transport them through the xylem
(they are “true roots” since they contain vascular tissue).
(ii) Roots anchor the plant in the ground so they are not knocked over by wind or water.
(iii) It also help to prevent soil erosion by holding the soil in place so it is not blown or washed
away. In some plants, food is stored in the roots if it is not needed immediately (eg. carrots, beets,
radishes).
2
, 2. Stems
(i) Stems support the plant’s leaves so that they can compete for sunlight and the flowers to be
pollinated for reproduction.
(ii) Some stems can store water (eg. cactus) and some store food (eg. potatoes and onions—
examples of underground stems).
Two types of stems are:
(i) Herbaceous stems: They are soft, green, flexible stems found in plants that complete their life
cycle in one growing season (they grow from a seed, produce new seeds, and die). Since they only
live one year (they are called annuals). They do not need a cambium layer because they do not
need to grow new xylem and phloem for the next year.
(ii) Woody stems: They are strong, rigid stems containing a large amount of xylem tissue. Each
year, the cambium grows a new set of xylem and phloem cells in woody plants. The new layer of
cells wraps around last year’s layer, producing the annual rings found in woody stems, such as
trees. Woody plants that grow for more than 2 years are called perennials, while those that grow
for only 2 growing seasons are called biennials.
3. Leaves
Leaves consist of 2 parts namely the stalk (connects the leaf to the stem) and the blade (the thin,
flat part). Leaves that have only one blade are called simple leaves, while those made up of two
or more blades are called compound leaves. Leaves are responsible for carrying out
photosynthesis by capturing the sun’s energy in the chloroplasts and using it to combine water
(from the soil) and carbon dioxide (from the air) to form glucose, the food for the plant. The
structures that make up the leaf are designed for this photosynthetic process.
Leave structures are:
(i) Upper epidermis: They are thin, protective layer of cells (the cells do not contain chlorophyll
so that the light may pass directly through them to the palisade layer). This layer is covered by the
cuticle to prevent loss of water.
(ii) Palisade cells: They are long, rectangular cells packed tightly together under the upper
epidermis. These cells trap sunlight in their chloroplasts to produce food through photosynthesis.
(iii) Spongy cells: They are irregularly-shaped cells that are loosely packed together, creating air
spaces. These cells also trap light and produce food.
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